


Someday, Somewhere

by ApatheticJazzHands



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016), West Side Story (1961)
Genre: Balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet, Billy Hargrove Being an Asshole, Drama and Romance, Eleven POV, Eleven riding on the back of Mike's bike, Eleven | Jane Hopper and Mike Wheeler in Love, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/M, Fist Fights, Forbidden Romance, Gangs, Humor, Jancy, Jim Hopper and Eleven Hopper argument, Kissing, Love at First Sight, Lumax, Lumax crush at first sight, Mike POV, Mike is awkward, Mileven, Murder, Protective Steve Harrington, Rivalry, Romeo and Juliet element, Rumble - Freeform, Secret Jancy romance, Steve and Billy Rivalry, Teen Angst, Tragic Romance, Underlying sense of doom, snowball dance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:41:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 21
Words: 41,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25556023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ApatheticJazzHands/pseuds/ApatheticJazzHands
Summary: It is the winter of 1985. The town of Hawkins is split into two rival gangs called the Snakes and Blades. After meeting and falling in love at their school's annual Snowball dance, Mike and El find themselves on opposite sides of war that they feel trapped in. As a fateful rumble approaches, Mike and El must decide if the fighting is worth it, or if their love for each other matters more than any battle.
Relationships: Dustin Henderson/Suzie, Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler, Jonathan Byers/Nancy Wheeler, Maxine "Max" Mayfield/Lucas Sinclair
Comments: 9
Kudos: 35





	1. The Snakes and the Blades

Mike's POV

“Alright, did you guys bring snacks?” Steve asks triumphantly as we duck under his arm and through the back door of the movie theater.

“All here in my backpack!” Dustin exclaims, taking it off and holding it up for us all to see. A symphony of wrappers crunching and drinks swirling sounds from the pack.

Steve rolls his eyes. “That’s great, Roast Beef, now get a move on. We don’t have all day.”

“ _You _don’t, Mr. Video Store,” Lucas remarks as we walk down the hallway to our correct theater.__

____

____

“That’s not even a clever nickname,” Steve mutters. I open the door to theater eleven. _Day of the Dead _has just started inside.__

____

____

We shuffle into our seats. There are enough empty ones in the back few rows. Dustin and Steve sit together a row in front of Lucas and I. Dustin opens his backpack and passes packets of M&Ms and Kit Kats, as well as soda to all of us. 

At this movie theater, it’s always been easier to sneak kids into R-rated movies than at the one on our side of town. That’s what Steve says anyway. Plus, the theaters are smaller here than the one at Starcourt. I don’t know why, but I’ve always liked it better that way. It feels more intimate, like everyone watching the movie is on some sort of journey together. 

Of course, in reality, that’s not the case. Especially not in this theater, on this side of town. Here, we are outcasts. This is the Blades’s territory. I’ve never understood why they call themselves that, nor why we call ourselves the Snakes. All I’ve been told is that the Blades are the enemy. The Snakes and the Blades have been fighting since before I was even born. I used to ask my sister, Nancy, why we fight. She always told me that it’s because we come from completely different worlds. That we could never understand each other. I’m not sure exactly what she means by that, nor if she really understands why we fight either.

I take a quick glance around me before the lights dim and the movie starts. Quick glances are something I’ve learned to do often where I live. But once the movie starts, all of my worries fade away, and the screen is the only thing I see. That’s another thing I like about going to see movies. In movies, all of the danger is fake. Through movies, you can escape from all of the things you glance over your shoulder for. 

***

“That was absolutely sick,” Lucas whispers as we exit the theater. “When all the arms came through the wall? Jeez.” 

I chuckle. Steve and Dustin walk in front of us, wrestling each other for the last packet of M&Ms. 

“Hey. I have work for the next five hours. You get to go home and have your mom feed you whatever you want,” Steve mutters.

“Just because _my _mom loves me doesn’t mean_ you _deserve the last of the m &ms that _I _paid for,” Dustin whines.__

_____ _

_____ _

Steve kicks open the door to the movie theater that lets out onto the street. “ _My _mom-”__

____

____

He stops short. “Billy,” he breathes.

A group of three has gathered across the street from the theater right in front of an alleyway. The first one is Billy. He’s been the sort of ring-leader of the Blades since he moved here a while back. The second, Jonathan, has lived here for longer than I can remember, but he only joined the Blades a few months ago. The third is a stranger to me. Of course, I’ve heard his name, Peter, but he moved into town just a few months ago. Nobody from our side knows much about him. 

Steve leads us across the road. Billy steps forward and takes a cigarette out of his mouth. “What are you punks doing on our side of town?” he asks. 

“Calm down, Billy. We don’t want any trouble,” Steve responds.

Billy tosses the cigarette to the ground and crushes it under his boot. “I’ve told you a thousand times to stay away, Harrington.”

Steve scoffs. “Look, we were just going to see a movie, and be on our way. I’ve got work in a few minutes anyway.” 

He turns to us and nods his head towards the street. “Let’s go guys.”

“We can’t let you get away with it that easy,” Peter pipes up in a nasally voice, taking a step forward. “We obey your rules, you obey ours.”

“We’ve given you plenty of warnings, Harrington,” Billy adds. “It’s time you paid the price.”

I look over at Steve. He has turned back to face them, and his fists have already clenched. It’s not very hard to provoke him into a fight. I guess that’s why he’s our leader. He does whatever he can to protect all of us. I’ve always liked that about him, even if he can be too reckless sometimes.

“Billy, come on,” I hear. I look up to see Jonathan shifting his weight from foot to foot uncomfortably. “It was just a movie-”

“Shut your mouth, Byers,” Billy says. “This is our territory. We can do what we want to them.”

“Fine then,” Steve says, shaking out his arms. “How about you stop talking for once and we get this over with?”

Billy peels off his leather jacket in a smooth movement and beckons Steve forward. I glance over at Dustin and Lucas. Dustin’s M&Ms hang limp at his side. Lucas looks on, a mixture of fright and exhilaration on his face.

“Come on, _King _Steve,” Billy taunts. “_ Captain _of Hawkins High.”__

_____ _

_____ _

Billy and Steve are now pacing in a circle around each other. 

“Oh, wait,” Billy sneers. “But you're not _King _anymore, are you, Harrington?”__

____

____

Steve’s jaw clenches, and his face turns a deep shade of red. 

“No,” Billy continues. He knows exactly what he’s doing. “You’re just a deadbeat who couldn’t even pass eleventh grade. Hell, even Miss. Priss-Nancy Wheeler couldn’t stick around to watch you crash and burn-”

At this, Steve’s lips peel back and a roar comes from deep beneath his throat as he throws a punch straight at Billy’s nose. Billy’s head whips to the side and he staggers back. He recovers before anyone else can step forward, a low cackle shaking his body. 

“Now _that’s _what I like to see, Harrington!” he says maniacally.__

____

____

Steve runs at him, pulling back his arm for another punch, but Billy is ready this time. He dodges Steve’s hit, and jabs upward, his fist colliding with Steve’s throat. He is knocked off balance, and Billy kicks out, swiping Steve’s legs out from under him. I watch in horror as Steve crashes to the ground. The side of his head collides with an empty crate in the alleyway, causing his neck to twist before his cheek slams against the concrete ground. 

“Steve!” Dustin cries out. He rushes forward, with Lucas and I not far behind. My head grows hot as Billy, Peter, and Jonathan gather together, creating a wall around Steve. I look to my side, unsure what to do. Dustin stops short and backs away as Billy rears his fist. Lucas is more courageous, and runs head-long towards Jonathon, but Jonathan quickly grabs him and throws him to the side. Lucas crashes into the brick wall and falls to the ground.

My eyes widen. I’ve been in fights before, but I’ve never really had to fight alone. Steve tries to keep us from getting hurt as much as he can, so he usually takes over. Now, I’m frozen in place. There’s no way I can take on all three of them. 

Billy can tell. “What’s the matter, Frog Face?” he asks, moving closer to me. His breath is hot in my face. I take a step back.

“Get away from him,” I hear. Billy turns around, and I see Steve standing up behind him. The right side of his face is bright red, and his forehead has split open just above his eyebrow. But he’s standing.

“Ah,” Billy says, throwing out his arms. “The great Steve rises again.”

“Shut the hell up,” Steve sighs. “I said I wanted to make this quick.”

Billy smirks. “As you wish.” He leaps forward. Swinging his fist and bashing it against Steve’s cheek. Steve falls back against the wall of the alleyway. He tries to fight back, raising his arms to protect himself, but Billy is a ruthless fighter. 

I’ve seen him fight before. It seems like he’s always getting into fights with the Snakes, whether there’s really a reason or not. When most of us fight, we’re just doing it to prove a point. It’s more of a chore to us, and except for an adrenaline rush, we don’t really get any pleasure out of it. But with Billy, it seems like it’s more than that. He gets a certain look in his eye. So intense, and….and _angry _. There isn’t really a word for it. It’s like he’s pouring all of the frustration and hurt that he’s ever felt out of his soul and into his fists.__

____

____

Needless to say, Steve struggles to hold him off. Every now and then, he’ll get a kick or a jab in, but it barely phases Billy. My heart begins to pound against my chest. I can’t just stand here and watch him get hurt.

“Stop it!” I scream. I know it won’t do anything, but it’s all I can think to do. Steve’s head cracks against the wall as Billy throws another punch. Dustin stares in horror. Lucas stays at Jonathan’s feet, too afraid to test him again. My blood boils. 

I rush forward with no plan in mind. I just need to get Billy away from Steve. Before I can get there, I feel a hot, blinding pain on my left cheek. I cry out and stagger to the right before being caught and turned around by Peter. 

“Where do you think _you’re _going?” he says in a hoarse voice. I can smell cigarettes on his breath. He throws me to the ground. My head whirls. I barely feel it slam against the concrete. He kneels down and I see his fist rear back before I hear it.__

____

____

At first I think it’s screaming. It must be Steve, or maybe Dustin or Lucas. I can’t see Jonathan. I have no idea what he could be doing to either of them. But, as the sound continues, and I see Peter freeze above me, I realize what the sound really is. Sirens. 

“Shit. Let’s go!” I hear Billy yell. Peter looks down at me angrily before he follows his orders. A few seconds later, I feel myself being pulled up. I blink and process Dustin and Lucas beside me.

“You ok?” Dustin asks.

“Yeah,” I mutter. I look over at Lucas. He smiles at me to let me know that he’s alright. 

“Come on, let’s get out of here,” I hear Steve say. I look over to see him, his face now halfway covered in blood, one eye completely swollen shut. 

We turn to go, but before we can, we hear a gruff “Hey!” from behind us. I turn around to see a large officer round the corner into the alleyway. His sunglasses and hat hide most of his face, the large mustache resting on his top lip the only feature I can make out. As he comes closer, I notice that his uniform is a light brown color. He’s the chief of police in Hawkins. Chief Jim Hopper.

“Shit,” Steve whispers. “Hey, officer! We were just, uh. Hanging out. Yeah.”

“You really expect me to believe that?” he says, exasperated.

Steve shrugs. “Well. I mean….no.”

Hopper sighs. “Listen. My guys have been breaking up enough fights around here. Now, I’m willing to let you off the hook this time, but if I catch any of you even thinking about starting another fight, there are going to be serious consequences.”

“How are you going to know what we’re thinking?” Steve asks, chuckling. 

Hopper gives him a tight lipped grin. “Don’t test me,” he says.

“Yes, sir,” Steve says hurriedly.

Hopper adjusts his hat and glances behind him. “Alright. You guys get yourselves cleaned up. And stay out of trouble, alright?”

We all nod. He walks back out of the alleyway.

Steve turns to us. “I’m sorry. Guys. I should’ve been more careful coming out of there. Mike, are you ok?”

I touch my cheek. It still stings but not as bad anymore. My head aches dully. “Yeah, I’m fine,” I say.

“You were like a super hero,” Dustin says, giddy. “I mean, if you hadn’t gotten beaten up by Peter.”

“What about me?” Lucas says. “I was the first one to jump in after Steve got knocked out.”

“Yeah, but then you just sat there like a wus for the rest of the fight while Mike fended for us,” Dustin chuckles.

“Wow,” Lucas says. “I cannot believe _you _just said that. You literally stood on the sidelines for that whole fight!”__

____

____

Steve chuckles. “Who cares? We all sucked.” He turns to me. “Hey, I’m sorry for what he said about Nancy.”

“It’s ok,” I say. “He doesn’t know anything.” 

Steve and Nancy dated for a little over a year when Steve was still in school. They broke up after Steve dropped out, but I don’t think it was about that. I guess they decided they weren’t right for each other anymore. I guess they left it on good terms. It’s not weird that I’m friends with Steve at least. 

Steve takes a breath. “Now, my face hurts, so let's get you all home so I can clean up my face before work.”

“You’re still going to work?” I ask. “Won’t your boss ask what happened?”

“How do you think I’ve kept a job for this long? My boss couldn’t care less what my face looks like. Plus, Robin is really good at her job, so she can just convince him not to fire me.”

I roll my eyes. “Ok. Whatever you say.”

“Come on,” Steve says. “Let’s get you home, ….what did he call you? Frog Face?”

I laugh. “I think so, yeah.”

“What a lame insult,” Steve chuckles. “You’ve got a precious face, my child.” He slings his arm across my shoulders and walks forward with me. 

“Thanks, Steve,” I chuckle. “Are you sure you don’t have a concussion?”

“I’m sure.” He smiles. As we walk back to Steve’s car, he stoops down to pick up the M&M packet that Dustin had apparently dropped during the fight. “And I’m taking these. I’ve earned these.”

“Fair enough,” Dustin mutters.

***

The house is dark when I step inside. The only light is coming from the kitchen, where my mom is preparing dinner. My dad dozes in his La-Z-Boy, the light from the TV flickering over his face. 

“Hey Dad,” I mutter as I walk toward the stairs.

“Ah. Hi son,” I hear. 

I make my way upstairs as quickly as I can. If my mom sees me, she’ll bombard me with questions, and I’m too tired for that right now. Plus, my head is still pounding a little.

As I walk down the hall to my bedroom, I hear the floorboards creak at the end of the hallway.

“Mike?” a soft voice calls. 

I turn. “Hi Holly.”

“Why are you home so late?” she asks. She rocks back and forth shyly, her blond pigtails sliding back and forth across her shoulders.

“Uh, we went to go see a movie,” I say.

“What movie?”

“A scaaaary movie,” I say, swooping towards her and picking her up. She giggles as I rush forward into her room and spin her around before plopping her on her bed.

“What kind of scary movie?” she asks as she sits up, still breathless from laughter.

“I can’t tell you,” I state, matter of factly. “You’ll get nightmares.”

“Were there clowns?” she asks, narrowing her eyes as she thinks.

“I can’t tell you,” I repeat. “Nightmares.”

She gasps. “Were there zombies?” 

I mimic the motion of zipping my lips together.

“Mike,” she whines.

I shrug. “Oi cmmt tmmk,” I mumble through my still-closed lips.

She giggles. “You’re funny.”

“I know I am,” I say. 

She crosses her legs in front of her. “Can you read me a story?”

I chuckle. I haven’t heard that in a while. I used to read books to Holly almost every night. Soon we ran out of books to read, and I had to come up with something else to keep her entertained. Dustin, Lucas, and I used to play Dungeons and Dragons all the time, and I used to record everything that happened during our campaigns and read them to her. Nancy told me once that I’m really good at telling stories, and making them dramatic enough that they seem to come to life. I’m not so sure about that. Anyway, ever since Holly started school, she’s been learning to read herself, so she doesn’t really need me anymore.

“You want me to read to you?” I ask.

“Yes,” she says. She moves restlessly in her place, unable to contain her excitement.

“What do you want me to read to you?” I ask, sitting down beside her.

She leans over and grabs a thin red book from her bedside table. 

“Ah,” I say. “ _Green Eggs and Ham _. A classic. But don’t you already know how to read this?”__

____

____

“I like it when you do the voices,” she says, handing it to me.

I smirk. “If you insist.” 

I clear my throat and begin. I act out the voices as I have countless times before. I try to make the story as exciting as I can, considering the fact that both of us have read it a thousand times. It’s fun. I’ve missed doing this.

Halfway through the book, I notice Holly looking at me skeptically. 

“What?” I ask.

“What happened to your face?” she asks.

I bring my hand up to touch my cheek. It still stings a little, but only when I touch it. I’d almost forgotten it was there. 

“Uh. Nothing,” I scramble. “Me and my friends just….got into a little fight. That’s all.”

“With each other?” She sounds horrified. Why did I tell her the truth? I could’ve come up with something much more convenient. Like, ‘I fell off my bike.’ Or, ‘I got hit in the face with a ball during P.E.’

“N-no. Not with each other,” I respond. It’s too late to backtrack, and start lying now. “We got into a fight with….other people.”

Holly’s eyebrows pull together, and her eyes narrow in an expression of confusion. She looks so innocent, as if she could never understand why anyone would want to hurt another person.

I sigh. “Don’t….be like me. Don’t get into fights.”

“Don’t be like you?” she repeats.

“Yeah,” I continue. “Be more like Nancy. Focus on school.”

“He’s right, Holly,” I hear from behind me. I turn around to find Nancy standing in the doorway to Holly’s room. “Mike is stupid for not focusing on school, because he’s really smart.”

“You’re contradicting yourself,” I shoot back. 

Nancy shrugs. “I’m just saying. If you applied yourself more-”

“Yeah, I get it,” I say, standing up. I turn back to Holly. “I’m sorry, Holly. Maybe we can finish tomorrow. I think I’m going to go to bed.”

“But, Mike, Mom hasn’t even finished making dinner,” Nancy protests as I approach the doorway. 

“It’s ok. I’m just tired,” I say.

She doesn’t respond, just looks at my face with a sad look in her eyes. Then she steps to the side to let me through the door and out into the hallway. I rush into my room, shutting the door behind me and flopping onto my bed. 

I don’t know why I reacted that way to what Nancy said. I know she’s right. I should care more about school. But Nancy doesn’t understand. There’s more to it than that.

I take a deep breath and close my eyes. I listen to the slight pounding in my head, like the beating of a drum, and let it lull me to sleep.


	2. Something's Coming-Part I

El's POV

_Ten, eleven, twelve _….I count in my head as I stack each loaf of bread onto the shelves one after another. I don’t know why I count them. I guess it helps me to be more focused, though I don’t think much focus is necessary in order to stock bread. It at least keeps me from being distracted by my coworkers, who are currently chatting away while sitting atop one of the checkout counters.__

____

____

“Billy came home drunk last night, with a pretty big bruise on his face,” Max says casually, swinging her legs against the counter. “He must’ve gotten into a fight.”

Will looks up from his notebook, where he has been sketching ever since we got here. “Do you think Jonathan was with him?”

Max looks over at him. “Shouldn’t you know?”

Will shrugs and looks down.

“Anyway,” Max continues. “I’m just telling you guys so you know to be careful. You know how tense things are after a fight like that.”

Will nods absentmindedly as he continues his drawing. 

“Yes,” I add. “I know.” 

It’s taken me awhile to catch on to everything that goes on in this town. I moved here about a year ago, after I was adopted. Everything here is pretty much brand new to me. The orphanage that I lived in before was very protective over the children. We weren’t often allowed to travel outside the grounds, and we were homeschooled. Everything here is so different. I can go shopping with Max, or go to the movies with Will, without as many restrictions. I got a job here at Melvald’s a few months ago, and even though things are kind of slow, it’s nice to feel responsible for something. 

There are some bad things that come with the good though. Like the gangs. I’m still struggling to understand exactly how this all started, and why we are supposed to be afraid of the other side of town. All I know is that we are. 

“Well, isn’t this normal for Billy though?” Will asks suddenly.

Max shrugs. “I guess. But….I don’t know. He’s been so much….angrier lately. Especially since that kid, Peter, came into town. Usually Billy is the one in control of everyone around him. But Peter….I don’t know. It just seems like something is changing because of him.”

She takes a deep breath. “Anyway, do you guys want to head to the arcade after work? I can beat all of you at _Dig Dug _again.”__

“Sure,” I say, placing another loaf of bread on the shelf. “If you agree to actually do your jobs and help me get all of this work done.”

We all look up suddenly as the supply-closet door opens and Will’s mom, Joyce, steps inside carrying a box of supplies. She’s been working here for years. So many, in fact, that she’s pretty much become the manager. 

“Oh, you guys are still here?” she asks.

“Yup,” Will says as he and Max jump swiftly from the counter and kneel down to help me.

“Yeah, we’ve been at this all day,” Max adds, picking up a loaf of bread. I roll my eyes at her and she gives me a mischievous grin back.

Joyce places the box down beside us, then puts her hands on her hips and looks around at the store. “Well, since there’s really no one here, I guess you guys can leave a little early.”

“Really?” Will asks.

“Yeah,” Joyce says, smiling brightly. “Go enjoy the rest of your day.”

Max jumps up. “Wow, thanks Joyce. Really, thank you. Come on guys, let’s go!”

She grabs her backpack from the side of the counter and runs to the front of the store. Will and I follow her lead. 

“Thank you Mrs. Byers!” I shout as we reach the front door. She laughs and waves as we make our way outside. Max unzips her backpack and takes her skateboard out as Will and I unlock our bikes from the bike rack. 

Max lent me her bike soon after I met her. She wanted me to come with her and Will to the movie theater and the arcade, but I didn’t have anything to get me there. Considering how expensive it is to buy a brand new bike, Max was kind of a life saver when she said I could have hers, and that she could just skateboard instead. And she definitely can. She keeps up with us pretty well as we make our way to the arcade. 

“So,” I say. “Are you guys excited for the dance tomorrow night?

“Excited to dress up in uncomfortable clothing just to sit around all night, but still go home exhausted _because _of said uncomfortable clothes?" Max asks. "No, not really.”__

Max has never been into school events. Or any event, really, other than hanging out with us. But I’ve never been to a high school dance before. We never had any special events like this at the orphanage, so I’ve never really had the chance to dress up and have fun with friends. I’ve been saving my only dress for the night. 

“Well, everyone else is going,” I say to Max. I try not to let on how excited I really am. I know Max will think it’s ridiculous. “What else are we going to do for the night anyway?”

“I’m just worried there will be a fight between the gangs,” Will says.

“I thought school campuses were neutral ground,” I say.

Will shrugs. “Still. You never know.”

Max groans. “Can we stop talking about all that stuff? Your mom said it herself, Will. We should be enjoying our day. And we should try to enjoy tomorrow, at least until that stupid dance starts.”

“So you’re saying you want to go?” Will asks, chuckling.

“Shut up,” she scoffs, before picking up speed and pulling ahead of us. We swing into the parking lot of the arcade and rush inside. 

We start with _Dig Dug _, then move on to_ Pac Man _and_ Dragon’s Lair _. Of course, Max beats us at everything. By a lot. At this point, I’m pretty sure Will and I have given up trying to beat her. But it’s fun to play anyway, and I think it’s fun to watch Max get so competitive.__

Time flies by, and it’s dark by the time we finally split ways for the night. I have the farthest to travel. My adoptive father and I live in a small cabin in the woods on the edge of town. I guess he wants to keep us away from any violence that happens around here. Hopper is the chief of police, so he knows how bad it gets.

My legs ache by the time I get home, the wheels of my bike bouncing over the twigs and leaves on the forest floor. It can be nice, living so far away from town. There aren’t any street lights here, so I can see the stars at night, and our view of the fireworks during New Years and the Fourth of July is absolutely beautiful. Yet, sometimes, I can’t stand how far away we are. In the orphanage, there were always other kids around to talk to, even if we really had nothing to do with one another. It would be nice to have neighbors to hang out with, or anything to look at other than trees and the sky. 

Hopper is already waiting for me when I get home. The light from within our home makes him a shadow in the doorway. He pulls a cigarette out of his mouth and stamps it out as I walk up the stairs to the porch and lean my bike against the wall.

“What happened?” he asks.

“What do you mean?” I respond, stepping around him to get inside. 

“I mean, why are you home so late?” He sounds unamused. He lets the door shut behind him, and locks it quickly before turning back to me.

“I was at the arcade with Max and Will,” I say. “We lost track of time, and it takes a while to get home anyway.”

Hopper sighs and massages his forehead. “El, we went over this already. You’re out late, you call me, and I can pick you up.”

“I was fine,” I insist. “I know you have a lot of work to do anyway.”

Hopper nods, raising his eyebrows. “Yeah. You know I had to break up a fight between this group of kids yesterday? Some of them must’ve been just a little bit older than you.”

I nod. “I heard about that. Max told us.”

“That’s why I’m so worried about you," Hopper continues. "It’s dangerous out there, and you shouldn’t be out there on your own so late at night.”

“I understand,” I say. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

Hop is silent, so I turn around to go to my room, but he stops me by speaking again. “El.”

I turn back around. “Yeah?”

“I don’t want you getting caught up in all that stuff.”

“I know,” I say, calmly. “You know I wouldn-”

“I know,” he says gruffly. “It’s just, more and more kids are getting sucked into all this stuff everyday. It’s….” He sighs. “I don’t know. Just….don’t be stupid.”

I’m not stupid. I know not to get involved in all of the fighting that’s been going on between the different sides of town. But it’s hard not to be swept into it all anyway. Max and Will both have siblings who are involved with the Blades. Pretty much everyone in town has a connection to someone from one of the gangs. We’re all involved. In some way.

But I don’t tell him that. I simply nod, letting him know that I understand. He seems satisfied, and I go get ready for bed. My layered blue and pink dress I’ve been waiting to wear to the dance is hanging on the other side of the door, and I smile as I close it. 

Maybe I will take Hopper’s advice. Maybe I’ll forget about the gangs for a while. Maybe then I’ll be able to have fun tomorrow night, and maybe I’ll finally look forward to something without having a sliver of worry in my heart. Maybe, just maybe, tomorrow night will be one of the best nights of my life.


	3. Something's Coming-Part II

Mike's POV

I wake up to a bright light, and realize that I never turned the lights off in my room last night. I’m lying on my bed, outside of my covers, and with my shoes still on. I never even changed my clothes. 

I rub my eyes and sit up, immediately regretting the decision when my head starts pounding. I groan and touch the back of it, where I find a small lump has formed. I close my eyes and stay still to let the pain subside a little, then get up slowly and turn to look at my clock. It’s already eight o’clock. I don’t have time to take a shower, so I just change my clothes and rush downstairs to grab my stuff. Dustin and Lucas should be here any minute now. 

My mom is putting away a breakfast of pancakes and scrambled eggs when I enter the kitchen. 

“Hi, sweetie. I didn’t see you last night,” she says absent-mindedly as she puts the leftover eggs in the fridge. 

“Yeah, I got home late,” I respond, grabbing my backpack from beside the door.

“Why didn’t you come down for dinner?” she asks, her back still turned to me.

“Uh….I don’t know,” I say hurriedly. “I guess I was tired.” 

She turns around to speak to me again, but her words get caught in her throat when she sees me. 

“Micheal, what happened to your face?!” she sputters.

_Shit. I forgot about that _. “Nothing,” I scramble. “Just an accident during P.E.”__

__“Why didn’t you tell me?” she says, rushing around the counter to look at the bruise more closely._ _

__“I don’t know,” I say, backing away from her. “But I’m gonna be late, so can you please just let it go for now?”_ _

__She gives me a concerned glance, then sighs. “Fine. Have a good day.”_ _

__I nod and rush outside. Lucas and Dustin are already waiting for me._ _

__“What took you so long?” Lucas asks._ _

__“I overslept,” I say, grabbing my bike and catching up with them._ _

__“Are you ok?” Dustin asks, gesturing towards my face as we ride down the street._ _

__“Yeah, I’m fine,” I say. I’m already getting tired of people asking about it. I wish I could just move on from what happened. It wasn’t a big deal anyway. Fights happen all the time around here, and people always get hurt._ _

__“You looked super cool. I’ve never seen you fight before,” Lucas says excitedly, as if he’s talking about some huge sports player who managed to score the winning goal in the last five seconds of the game._ _

__I roll my eyes. I don’t get what’s so cool about getting punched._ _

__***_ _

__Our first class is English with Mr. Clarke. I don’t know how we got so lucky as to all have the same class for our first period. We sit together at the back of the classroom, close enough to each other and far enough away from Mr. Clarke that we can talk without him being able to tell._ _

__“Goooood morning class,” Mr. Clarke says cheerfully from behind his desk. “Everyone take out your books and read chapter nine while everyone gets settled in.”_ _

__I open my backpack to take out my book, but I don’t see it anywhere. I dig my fingers in between notebooks and binders, but to no avail._ _

__“ _Shit _,” I whisper, slumping back into my seat. I must’ve left it in my room.___ _

____Lucas chuckles. “You better hope he doesn’t call on you to read out loud.”_ _ _ _

____I turn and frown at him. “Won’t you just lend me yours?”_ _ _ _

____Lucas shrugs. “Maybe.”_ _ _ _

____I shake my head and laugh. “Jerk.”_ _ _ _

____“I don’t know why he gets so angry when people forget their books anyway,” Dustin whispers._ _ _ _

____“Alright kiddos, we’ve got a long day ahead of us,” Mr. Clarke announces. “I’d like to start off by discussing the last chapter of our book, Lord of the Flies. In the last scene of chapter eight, Simon encounters a pig’s head on a spear. It talks to him, and tells that it is "within all of them". Seems kind of cryptic, right? Does anybody have any ideas of what the monster means when it says this?”_ _ _ _

____The class is silent. I never got a chance to read chapter eight last night._ _ _ _

____“O…k,” Mr. Clarke says. He doesn’t look surprised at our lack of a response or enthusiasm. “Well, I’m open for more interpretations, but the author's message in this novel is about the good and evil in each and every human. So….what do you think a pig symbolizes?”_ _ _ _

____Silence._ _ _ _

____Mr. Clarke sighs. “On a more basic level, the pig represents the evil part in all humans. It says that it is inside all of them. So all of the boys on the island have at least a small amount of evil in them. Now, that’s just the author's point of view. My question to you is if you agree. Is there evil in every human, if even a minuscule amount?”_ _ _ _

____“No,” Lucas says from beside me. I startle, and sit up. Lucas never joins class discussions. “That’s bullshit.”_ _ _ _

____Dustin snickers as a few people in the class gasp at his language. Mr. Clarke raises his eyebrows. “Language, Lucas.”_ _ _ _

____“Sorry,” he says. “I just think it’s ridiculous that this author guy thinks we’re all born evil. You don’t come out of the womb wanting to kill people. We’re all victims of circumstance.”_ _ _ _

____Chatter starts at all sides of the classroom. Mr. Clarke smiles and holds his arms out. “See? Now you’ve got people talking. Does anybody want to disagree with Lucas?”_ _ _ _

____A girl with long brown hair speaks up. “We’re not just victims of circumstance. Some people may be, but all of us have the ability to make our own decisions. I mean, you hear stories in the news all the time about all-star sports players or world famous actors who have been able to make their own success even if everything was standing against them.”_ _ _ _

____“That’s stories in the news,” Lucas retorts. “Those are extremely rare stories that are probably dramatized to make them more hopeful and entertaining.”_ _ _ _

____“So, Suzie,” Mr. Clarke interjects. “Do you agree with the author’s message?”_ _ _ _

____“I don’t know,” The girl-I guess her name is Suzie-responds thoughtfully. “People always say ‘I’m only human’ when they make a mistake. I guess that means humans have weaknesses. So maybe we all have the capacity to be evil, but we also have the capacity to be good. It’s our decisions that determine that. I don’t think people have no other choice than to give in to their dark side if their situation is as bad as the boys’ situation is in the book though.”_ _ _ _

____I look back and forth between Dustin and Lucas, impressed. Dustin is staring at Suzie as if she has just explained the cure to cancer. Lucas just sits back and rolls his eyes._ _ _ _

____“Wow. She’s brilliant,” Dustin breathes._ _ _ _

____“Excellent analysis, Suzie,” Mr. Clarke says. He turns back to the class. “For your homework tonight, I just want you to think about our discussion today.”_ _ _ _

____For some reason, his eyes fall on me when he says his next sentence. “Are all humans born evil? Or, for that matter, born good? Are we all just victims of circumstance, like Lucas said? Or is it up to us? Are we capable of making the right choice, and choosing to be good?”_ _ _ _

____I shift in my seat and look at the clock above him to escape his gaze. We still have an hour left of class._ _ _ _

____We read chapter nine as a class for the rest of the period. Luckily, I don’t get called on to read out loud. When the bell rings, the room erupts as everyone gets up from their desks and rushes out the door for break._ _ _ _

____I follow Lucas and Dustin outside, but just before I get to the door, Mr. Clarke calls my name. Dustin turns to look at me, giving me a wide eyed gaze that says “good luck.”_ _ _ _

____“Yeah?” I say hesitantly. I rack my brain for things I might have done wrong in the past week. I’ve been pretty good with having my homework done recently. Probably because we haven’t had any homework recently._ _ _ _

____Mr. Clarke leans forward and lowers his voice when he talks to me. “I heard about what happened yesterday.” He gestures to my cheek._ _ _ _

____I roll my eyes. Of course. I should’ve guessed. “I’m fine, if that’s what this is about,” I say._ _ _ _

____Mr. Clarke nods. “I know. I just wanted to let you know that...you can talk to me, if you ever think you need to. I’m here to help. Whatever you need.”_ _ _ _

____I nod. “Ok.”_ _ _ _

____I understand what he’s trying to do. He thinks I’m going to learn from the lesson he taught today, and realize how much trouble I’m getting myself into. And I already know all of that. But it’s not like I have a choice. In Hawkins, the gangs are the only place where you can belong. Every kid who isn’t in a gang ends up being pulled into one one way or another. That, or they belong to no one, and no place. They don’t have friends to protect them when things get bad. And things are always bad here in Hawkins. Sometimes I think this town is cursed._ _ _ _

____I meet Dustin and Lucas in the school yard. We sit at our usual spot at the top of the bleachers overlooking our school’s small basketball court. There’s a cool breeze up here, and it’s high up enough that there’s a view of some of the town. From here, I can see the movie theater, and the alleyway where we ran into Billy and his cronies yesterday, as well as Melvald’s General Store._ _ _ _

____“So, what did he have to say?” Dustin asks as I sit down beside them._ _ _ _

____“It was nothing,” I say. “He heard about the fight.”_ _ _ _

____“Did he get mad?” Dustin asks._ _ _ _

____“No.”_ _ _ _

____“That’s good,” Lucas interjects. “He shouldn’t make you feel ashamed of defending yourself.”_ _ _ _

____“Yeah, and saving your ass,” Dustin chuckles._ _ _ _

____Lucas glares at him, but Dustin doesn’t notice. He looks out towards our view of the town and asks, “Are you guys going to the dance tomorrow night?”_ _ _ _

____Lucas and I give each other startled glances. Since when have we ever talked about going to the dance? I’d almost forgotten there was a dance coming up._ _ _ _

____“I would love to go to the dance with you, Dusty-bun!” Lucas mocks._ _ _ _

____I can’t help but laugh. Dustin looks down at us and rolls his eyes._ _ _ _

____“I didn’t want to go either,” he claims. “But Steve says that going to high school dances are some of the most important memories we’ll ever make. He went on this whole rant about how we should take every chance we have to hold on to those memories, or we’ll end up like him and Robin. High school dropouts, working part time at a video store for barely any money, and no end in sight.”_ _ _ _

____“He said that if we don’t go to a school dance that we’ll drop out of high school?” Lucas asks._ _ _ _

____“Well, you know what he means,” Dustin stutters. “We should try to enjoy school, or we’ll just hate it and want to drop out even more.”_ _ _ _

____“Sure he did, Dustin,” Lucas says, patting Dustin on the back. He turns to me. “What do you say, Mike? Should we go and have the time of our lives?”_ _ _ _

____I laugh, and nod. Normally I would have protested, but something about going to the dance suddenly feels….right. Like something is falling into place. The feeling is so sudden, that I can’t ignore it. And even if I’m crazy for thinking that it means anything….I could still use one fun night._ _ _ _


	4. The Snowball Dance

El's POV

I wait restlessly for the evening to come. School today seemed to move by at a snail's pace. I guess Fridays are always like that, but today is different. I haven’t been able to shake this childish feeling of anticipation all day long. 

When the sun starts to set, I take my dress down from where it is hanging on my door. It’s blue with small pink polka dots, styled with a hot pink belt. I put it on and look at myself in the mirror. 

I’m not used to seeing myself in pretty clothes. We only wore uniforms at the orphanage, so Hopper had bought a few flannel t-shirts and jeans for me to wear when he first adopted me, and I’ve never really needed much else. Max took me to the mall once, and I found a few outfits that are more expensive, but I don’t wear them that often. There never seems to be a special occasion where I can wear them, except for tonight. 

I leave my hair down, letting it fall in loose curls to just above my shoulders. Then I cover my eyelids with a light layer of pink blush, and put lip gloss on. Max and I tried to figure out makeup together a few months ago. Max wasn’t into it that much, and I was just bad at it, but I’m trying it again tonight anyway. I think it turns out pretty good.

I check the time. Almost seven. I walk out of my room, and into the living room, where I find Hopper sitting at the kitchen table. He looks at me and smiles. “You look very nice.”

I smile shyly. “Thanks. I thought you were going to be at work.”

He holds up his car keys. “I thought I’d drive you to the dance,” he says.

“Oh,” I say. “I was going to ride with Will and Max.”

“I’m sure they’ll understand,” he says. 

I nod. I understand too. Hop might be a bit over protective, but I can’t blame him for it. He sees the worst of what’s out there every day. We get in the car and drive to school. It’s weird how much bigger this town feels when Max, Will and I are just riding around on bikes. In a car, you can get to most places within just a few minutes, even from where we live. I think that’s what separates the kids in town from the adults so much. Hawkins feels like a whole different town when you’re just wandering around with friends. 

When we pull up to the dance, Max and Will are already waiting outside the doors to the gym. Hopper drops me off and goes to park as I run to meet them. 

“Sorry guys. Hopper wanted to drive me,” I pant.

Max chuckles. “It’s fine. We weren’t waiting that long anyway.”

“Jonathan made me ride with him too,” Will says. 

Suddenly I notice that Jonathan is standing by the door as well. He’s just a few feet away, talking to a pretty girl with brown, tightly curled hair and a pink plaid dress on. Will tells us that Jonathan volunteered to be the photographer for the dance, but that he probably just wanted to come so he could make sure everyone stays out of trouble. 

I look back at the parking lot. Hop has gotten out, and is leaning against the hood of his car. 

“That’s why Hop is staying too,” I say.

“Who cares why they’re here?” Max says. “Let’s just try to have some fun.”

“That doesn’t sound like you. I thought it was impossible to have fun at school dances,” Will chuckles.

“I know. But I would rather _try _to have fun than brood at the fact that we’re being chaperoned the whole time.” She grabs our hands. “Now let’s go.”__

__We enter the gym. Silver tinsel surrounds the room, and twinkle lights and streamers hang overhead._ _

__“Wow,” Max mutters from beside me. “This place really cleans up nice.”_ _

__“It looks amazing,” I breathe._ _

__Max looks at me skeptically. “Come on, weirdo. I may hate school dances, but I refuse to sit around all night. Let’s go dance.”_ _

__“Twist of Fate” by Olivia Newton John has just come on and is blasting through the speakers positioned all around the gym. Max drags Will and I onto the dance floor and we start jumping around to the music. Soon, everyone at the dance is doing the same. Being in a crowd of so many people is a bit overwhelming. It certainly isn't what I had expected my first dance to be like. The gym at our school isn’t very big, so soon I can barely see between all of the people around me, and the air becomes difficult to breathe. I stop moving for a moment, trying to make sense of the chaos that surrounds me. I can’t even see Max and Will anymore. I move forward to the edge of the crowd, hoping to catch my breath._ _

__The music changes when I break free from the crowd. I breathe hard, not sure whether to feel panicked or exhilarated. A slow song has started playing, and the crowd seems to calm down. I turn to look for Max and Will._ _

__That’s when the crowd parts. And I see him._ _


	5. The Most Beautiful Sound I Ever Heard

Mike's POV

I pull on my tie to tighten it, then loosen in again. I’ve never learned how to tie one correctly. Most of the time I just guess and it comes out alright. My dad tried to teach me, but I couldn’t get it, and I guess he just gave up after a while. I can’t blame him. 

I decide that it looks fine, and throw a tan blazer over my blue shirt and grey sweater vest. My mom is waiting for me when I come downstairs. 

“Oh, Mike! You look so handsome!” she exclaims. 

“Mom-”

“But don’t you think you should put a little makeup or something over that bruise?” she continues.

I furrow my eyebrows. “No.”

“Well I just thought you’d want to look nice for these pictures, that’s all,” she says, holding up a disposable camera.

“It’s fine,” I insist. “And please don’t take a ton of pictures of me.”

“Ok, just one,” she says. Just then, a car horn honks outside. 

“Steve’s here,” I say quickly, dodging her to get to the door. “Bye mom.”

“Wait-” she starts, then she sighs and chuckles as I open the door. “Bye, Mike.”

Lucas and Dustin have already been picked up, Dustin sitting in the front beside Steve, and Lucas sitting in the back of the car. Lucas lives only a few houses down from me, and Dustin lives only a little farther away. I open the back door and sit beside Lucas. He wears a grey blazer over a striped button down, and Dustin….well.

“What the hell did you do to your hair?” I ask.

Dustin looks confused for a moment, then touches his mane of curly hair which is currently sticking straight up in a messy mullet-like hairdo.

“Oh, this? Steve taught me how he does his ha-”

“Dude,” Steve says, slapping Dustin on the arm. “Remember what I told you.”

“I wasn’t gonna _tell _them_ how _,” Dustin retorts with an annoyed tone of voice.__

__“Yeah, well, I never know what you’re gonna say,” Steve mutters._ _

__Lucas and I give each other amused glances._ _

__“Anyway,” Dustin says, turning around in his seat to face us. “What do you guys think?”_ _

__“I think you look absolutely ridiculous,” Lucas says._ _

__Dustin rolls his eyes. “Whatever Lucas. I don’t care what you think. I’m just living in the moment, and enjoying school for what it is before it’s over. Steve told me that, right Steve? They didn’t believe me when I said you said that.”_ _

__“Yeah,” Steve says. “I didn’t say it like _that _though.”___ _

____“Whatever,” Dustin says, slumping back into his seat._ _ _ _

____“Whoa, whoa whoa,” Steve says. “Be careful with that hair.”_ _ _ _

____Dustin sits back up quickly as Steve pulls up in front of the gym. “Alright guys,” he says. “You all look like a million bucks. You could get all the ladies to dance with you if you wanted. Now go in there and have some fun.”_ _ _ _

____Dustin grins at us and jumps out of the car. Lucas and I follow shortly behind him._ _ _ _

____“Did you hear that?” Dustin asks animatedly. “He said we could get any girl to dance with us.”_ _ _ _

____“He didn’t really mean that,” Lucas says._ _ _ _

____“Still, what’s the harm in trying?” Dustin responds. “I mean, what else are we going to do anyway, sit around all night?”_ _ _ _

____Lucas shrugs. “I guess you’re right.”_ _ _ _

____We walk into the dance. Pretty much everyone else in our grade is already here. There are people everywhere, dancing to upbeat music, or hanging out at the tables on the outer edge of the gym. Dustin wanders into the center of the gym, where a massive group of people are dancing._ _ _ _

____“Alright boys,” he says. “I’m heading in.”_ _ _ _

____Lucas laughs, and joins him. “You coming?” he asks me._ _ _ _

____I’m not a huge fan of crowds. And I’ve never asked someone to dance. I’ve never even looked at a girl that way. What are you even supposed to say? How do people walk up to someone they’ve barely talked to and ask them to dance?_ _ _ _

____I make my way along the crowd of dancing students. The song is already almost over. You’re not supposed to ask someone to dance at the end of the song, right? So, what happens when another song starts? How do you even dance without stepping all over the other person’s feet? My heart starts to beat faster. Why am I even so nervous? I could just sit down and wait until Dustin and Lucas are ready to leave._ _ _ _

____The song ends, and a slow song starts. The crowd starts to separate. I see Lucas and a girl with long red hair talking to each other. My eyes travel the crowd as it disperses. And then they land on her._ _ _ _

____She’s standing at the edge of the crowd. Her cheeks are flushed and her hair frames her face in loose curls of golden brown. Her dress surrounds her in layers of blue and pink. Our eyes lock on each other at the same time. And suddenly, strangely, all of my worry melts away. Everyone else in the room disappears in a cloud of smoke, and the music blasting over the speakers fades to background noise. She is the only thing I see. Suddenly, I’m not at the dance anymore. I’m somewhere far away. But it’s a good place, because it feels right. It feels oddly like home. I feel my feet start to move forward. Then she’s walking towards me too. The closer we get the more I see how beautiful she is. But there’s something more than that. Something about her just makes me want to be closer to her. But I’m not conscious of it really. It’s more like something is pushing us towards one another, and I’m not pushing back. I don’t want to._ _ _ _

____Now we’re standing right in front of each other. She looks at me with wide eyes. I’m not sure what to say. Nothing seems like it would be good enough._ _ _ _

“Hi,” I settle on. _Great choice, Mike. ___

______She smiles, amused. “Hi.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______I take a deep breath. “I, uh. I saw you from the other side of the room and-”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Me too,” she says._ _____

“You….you look beautiful,” I blurt out. _Oh no. ___

But she smiles shyly, looking down at her feet. When she looks back up at me, her cheeks are a bright shade of pink. 

________“Thank you,” she says softly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________A wave of relief washes over me, and I can't help but smile, probably too widely. I take another breath, then look out at the dance floor. The words that come out of my mouth next are simple, way more simple than I had made them out to be in my mind._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Do you want to dance?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She looks towards the dance floor as well, her eyes curious and wondering. “I don’t know how,” she says, turning her gaze back to me. “This is my first dance.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________I smile. “I don’t really know how to either. Do you want to figure it out together?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She nods and holds out her hand. I take it and we walk to the dance floor. I put her hands on my shoulders, and place my hands on her waist. We seem to settle into each other as we sway to the music. My nerves from before have faded away. My heart stops beating so fast, and my head stops swimming with unsure questions. It’s as if the world has stopped for a moment, and we are the only ones who aren’t frozen. We just look into each other's eyes and dance for what feels like hours._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________And then the song ends. I don’t know how much time has really passed. Everything comes back into focus all at once. Suddenly we’re back in the gym surrounded by people. She pulls away from me, a fascinated look on her face. Then her eyes flicker to gaze over my shoulder. I turn around to see Lucas looking for me in the crowd._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________When I turn back around, her eyebrows are drawn together in an expression of concern. “I should go. It’s getting late-”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Wait,” I say._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She stops and looks up at me again, waiting for me to continue._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I don’t know your name,” I say._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She smiles. “My name’s El.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_El._

____________“What’s your name?” she asks._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Mike,” I say. “When will I see you again?” I can’t just let her go. Not after what just happened._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Her eyes narrow, contemplating. “Meet me tonight at the woods by the edge of town. Near the "Leaving Hawkins" sign. You’ll find a path that will lead to my house. I’ll wait for you outside.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________I nod. I know exactly where she's talking about. She moves toward the front door of the gym, and I suddenly realize that it wasn’t Lucas she was looking at. It was chief Hopper. He had been standing in the door frame. She steps outside and he follows her. Why is she with the chief? The chief doesn’t have a daughter, does he?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Earth to Mike,” I hear. I startle and look over to find Lucas trying to get my attention._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Sorry,” I say._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Listen Mike,” he explains quickly. “We have to get out of here.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Why?” I ask._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Because.” He sighs. “I was dancing with this girl, and Dustin told me she’s Billy’s sister. We need to leave before somebody tells him.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Ok,” I say. It has never really been said if someone from the Snakes can be friends with someone from the Blades. It has never really had to be said. It’s pretty much unheard of._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I thought you knew,” Dustin says, emerging from the crowd._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Well, obviously not,” Lucas says. “Please, can we go now?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Yeah,” Dustin says. “I used Mr. Clarke’s classroom phone to call Steve. He should be here soon.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________We go outside to wait. I keep a lookout to make sure Billy doesn’t show up. Steve pulls up after just a few minutes and we all pile into his car._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“What did you do this time?” Steve asks._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Lucas danced with Billy’s sister,” Dustin says._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Steve groans. “Out of all the girls at your school?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I didn’t know!” Lucas exclaims._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“It’s common knowledge,” Dustin says._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I don’t pay attention to who’s whose sister or brother!” Lucas yells._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Well, you obviously should!” Dustin yells back._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Do you guys know if Chief Hopper has a daughter?” I ask._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Everyone turns to give me skeptical looks._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I’m just asking,” I say quickly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“El Hopper?” Steve says. “Yeah, he adopted her from this freaky orphanage like a year ago.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Isn’t she friends with Billy’s sister?” Dustin asks._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Yeah, I think so,” Steve says._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Lucas turns to me with an incredulous look on his face. “How do they know all this stuff?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________I shake my head. A dark cloud of dread gathers in the pit of my stomach. If El is friends with Max, she must be a part of the Blades too. Steve and Dustin could be wrong. They can’t know everything about everyone. But we live in a small town, and, as the leader of the Snakes, it’s sort of Steve’s job to know who might be on the Blades’ side._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________I can’t even think of what it would mean if El was on their side. On Billy’s side. But, whether she is or not, I don’t care. It’s not going to stop me from seeing her tonight. She’s still….El. That’s all she is to me._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Steve drops me off at my house. When he pulls away, I don’t go inside. Instead I take my bike from where I left it in front of the entrance to the basement, and travel west, to the edge of town. El lives all the way across town from me, closer to where Billy and Jonathan live. I should’ve known. Snakes technically aren’t even allowed on this side of town. There’s a good chance I could get caught, like we did yesterday, at the movie theater. By Billy, or Peter,….someone. But I don’t stop. No matter how much my legs ache by the time that I’m halfway across town, I don’t stop. I can’t, and I’m not exactly sure why. I just know that I need to keep going, because what I’m going towards is good._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_El _. I replay the name in my head as I travel forward._ El _. I’ve never heard that name before. It sends my head spinning every time I repeat it in my head. It’s beautiful. It’s everything beautiful about her packed into a single word.__

_El _.__


	6. Tonight

El's POV

“What’s going on?” I ask Hop as he cruises down the streets of downtown Hawkins. 

“I overheard some kids talking about jumping someone,” Hopper says, clutching the steering wheel tighter. “I gave them a warning and they went away, but I’m not taking any chances.”

I lean back in my seat. “Kids don’t mean what they say half of the time. Plus, school is neutral ground. Nothing would’ve happened.”

“Neutral ground?” he asks, glancing toward me. “How do you know about that?”

“Max and Will were talking about it,” I say absently. “Gangs aren’t allowed to start fights on school grounds.”

“From what I heard, it doesn’t sound like they were planning on following those rules.”

I turn to look out of the window.

Hopper sighs. “Look, I’m sorry for taking you out of that dance. You just have to understand that-”

“It’s fine,” I respond. “I’m tired anyway.”

Hopper pauses for a moment, and I can see him looking skeptically at me from the corner of my eye. Finally, he lets out a low laugh. “You’re tellin’ me, kid.”

I smile. Ten minutes ago, I would’ve been angry that I couldn’t stay and finish the first school dance that I’ve ever been to. Now, none of that matters. Not the dance, and not the gangs, not anything. But him.

I can’t explain what happened once I saw him. Everything felt light, and confusing, and new, and just….good once we were talking to each other. And the dance….everything about it was perfect. And I barely even got to know his name.

At least he’ll be here tonight. Hopefully. Hopefully I didn’t blow things out of proportion. Hopefully he felt the same way I did about whatever just happened between us. Hopefully. 

When we get home, Hopper goes straight to bed, and I pretend to do the same. I change out of my dress and put on a comfortable pair of sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt. When I’m sure Hop is asleep, I step out onto the porch. 

The air is cold on my skin. Only the porch light illuminates the space around me. I never go out here at night. I’ve never really felt the need to. It’s chilling, haunting almost, to stare into the near darkness.

I shiver. Maybe I should just give up and go inside. It’s getting even darker by the minute, and he’s probably not coming anyway. I was naive to think he ever would.

I hear something shuffle in the trees. My heart leaps into my throat, but my legs don’t move. All of the muscles in my body freeze. My eyes strain, trying to see if something is out there, or if it is all in my mind.

Then I see him. His dark hair is wavy and windswept, and he holds his tan blazer loosely in his hand. I can barely see him, but his eyes are bright in the dark. Suddenly all of my muscles relax. My heart beats wildly, this time in a good way. I’m not as cold anymore. I let myself smile.

“Mike,” I whisper. 

He smiles and starts towards the stairs leading up to the porch.

“Wait,” I say. He stops, looking confused. “Hop. If you’re up here, he might be able to see you through the window. He’ll kill me if he sees me with you.”

“I know,” Mike agrees, stepping away from the stairs. “He knows me. He’s seen me around town.”

“He knows you?” I ask. 

“Yeah. Yesterday….he broke up a fight my friends and I got into with these guys from this side of town.”

Suddenly it all makes sense. I never even thought to ask which side of town he lives on, or who he hangs out with. They seem like stupid questions to need to know. But here, they’re the most important ones. 

“You’re involved with the gangs aren’t you? I ask, dreadfully. “The Snakes?”

He nods. “But….but I’m not one of them. Well, I am, but sometimes I don’t understand why they get so angry with the people on this side of town.”

“I’m not one of them either,” I say quickly. “I only moved here about a year ago. I still don’t understand why we fight. But sometimes I think I may as well be a part of the Blades because of where I live, and the fact that all of my friends are involved in some way.” I pause. “My point is that I don’t hate you just because of….all of this.”

Mike smiles. “I don’t hate you either.” He bites his lip, thinking. “Do you want to talk about something else?”

“Yes, please,” I say. 

We are silent for a while, thinking. There’s not much else that in this town that people our age talk about other than the gangs. 

“What do you think that was? That happened at the dance?” I finally ask. I haven’t been able to get it off my mind since we left. I need to make sure he feels the same way.

Mike looks perplexed. “I can’t explain it. It felt sort of like….like we were being-”

“Pulled together,” I finish.

“Yeah,” he says, staring up at me wistfully. “Exactly.”

“You felt it too,” I say. “I thought I was….overreacting or something.”

“You weren’t,” he says.

I am at a loss for words for a moment. Nothing I say to him next could ever live up to what happened at the dance. Everything was perfect, and almost completely wordless. But I want to know more about him, about who he is, everything he is. I want to know whatever he will tell me.

“Mike,” I say uncertainly. 

“Yeah?” he asks.

“What do you….like to do?”

The question sounds stupid and out of place. But something in Mike’s face softens when I ask it. 

“No one’s ever really asked me that before,” he says curiously.

“Well, now someone is,” I say, grinning.

He looks away from me for a moment, thinking. “I like my science and english class, I guess. Although, I’m not really good at school in general.” He stops, and for a moment I think that’s all he is going to tell me, but then he continues. This time, however, his expression is lighter, and free, as if he is thinking about things that are miles away from his world here. He looks like how someone his age should look. He looks like a kid. 

“I really like movies. My mom used to take me and my sister to the movies all the time when we were kids. She used to work at a movie theater before she married my dad. Now, my friends and I go to the theater all the time. At _least _once every week. I think….maybe….I want to make movies when I grow up. I just want to know what it would be like to make a story out of nothing, and-...I’m sorry. This all sounds stupid.”__

__“It’s ok,” I say, smiling. “I like movies too.”_ _

__“Well, what about you?” Mike asks. “What do you want to do when you get older?”_ _

__“I don’t know, really,” I respond. I guess no one has asked me that type of question either. “I’ve always wanted to know more about the world,” I decide. “Hopper adopted me from an orphanage that never let us step foot outside the grounds. I want to be able to travel the world someday. Go wherever I want.”_ _

__“Where would you want to go first?” he asks._ _

__I think for a moment before answering. That’s another thing I never thought about. “My friend, Max. She’s from California. She talks about it all the time like it’s this amazing place.”_ _

__He nods. “Sounds like a good plan. Anywhere sounds better than here.”_ _

__My heart jumps to my chest. Hearing him call it a plan makes it seem even more real. Like it could be a possibility. I swing my leg over the railing and sit upon it, facing Mike. He follows suit, placing his foot on the floor of the porch and pulling himself up so he is at my height, but still on the other side of the railing. From here I can see his face more closely. His eyes are wide and innocent, his sharp cheeks speckled with freckles. A small bruise has formed slightly above his jaw. Somehow, I hadn’t noticed it while we were dancing._ _

__“Was that from the fight?” I ask softly._ _

__Something flickers in his eyes when I say it. I can’t tell what it is. Sadness, maybe. Regret._ _

__“Yeah,” he says._ _

__I sigh, letting my head drop. Seeing the bruise reminded me of all of the things Hopper has been warning about. People getting in trouble, getting hurt. A pit forms in my stomach. This was a mistake._ _

__“I shouldn’t have told you to come here,” I say. “It’s dangerous for you, especially at night. This whole situation is dangerous. You should go before it gets any later.”_ _

__I move to leave, sliding myself off of the railing, but Mike calls out to me._ _

__“El, wait.”_ _

__I turn back to him._ _

__He looks around, grappling for words. “We….we shouldn’t let go of what just happened at that dance because of some stupid disagreement about which side of town we live on. I mean, don’t you think there’s a reason that we’ve never seen each other around school before tonight? And that, when we did see each other….whatever happened, happened?”_ _

__I shake my head. “How could you believe in fate in a place like this?”_ _

__“I don’t,” Mike says, furrowing his brow. “I don’t believe in fate. But….some people believe in souls.”_ _

__“Souls?” I say dubiously._ _

__“Yeah,” he says, resting his elbows on the porch railing. A small smirk has lifted the corners of his mouth. “They say some souls are lost, and some never get found. But some find each other, and they’re meant to stick together, no matter where they are.”_ _

__I laugh. “Certainly not here.”_ _

__“Maybe not,” Mike agrees. “Maybe not all of the time. But somewhere. Like in moments like this.”_ _

__I know that it sounds crazy. I'm not even sure if Mike believes himself. But some part of me knows that he’s right. There must be a reason for what happened between us at the dance._ _

__I open my mouth to tell him, but I suddenly hear Hopper call from inside. I whip my head toward the house. A light has turned on in Hopper’s bedroom._ _

__“Meet me at Melvald's tomorrow afternoon,” I whisper hurriedly to Mike. He smiles brightly. “No one is usually in there anyway, but come at closing time just in case. Six o’clock. Be careful.”_ _

__Mike nods. He hops off of the porch and we turn away from each other. Hopper must still be in his room. I can’t see him anywhere in the living room or the kitchen._ _

__Suddenly I feel Mike walking away behind me like a weight on my back and chest. I feel like I’ve left something behind. Like I’ve left something unsaid._ _

__I turn around, unsure what I’m even going to do. Mike has already turned back around as well. We stare at each other for a moment before our feet once again bring us towards each other. But this time, there’s nothing pushing us. This time we know for sure that it’s only us._ _

__I fly down the stairs of the porch barefoot and meet him on the grass in front of my house. Mike is taller than me by about six inches, so I stretch onto the tips of my toes as I hold his face in my hands and our lips meet. It is soft, and simple and perfect. My heart doesn’t flutter like I expected it to. Instead, everything stills. Everything is calm. I feel more at home than I ever have before._ _

__We pull apart, and our foreheads fall together. I see him smile out of the corner of my eye. His cheeks are flushed bright pink._ _

__“Goodnight, El,” he says softly._ _

__“Goodnight, Mike,” I tell him._ _

__He turns and walks away to pick up his bike. This time, he doesn’t look back. I watch as he turns into a silhouette, then into a shadow, then into nothing. No matter how much my toes ache from the cold, no matter how dark it is outside, it takes me minutes to walk back inside again._ _


	7. Hawkins

Mike's POV

I wake up to golden light shining through my window. When I sit up in bed, my head doesn’t pound, and my bones don’t ache. Memories from last night are still sharp in my mind. The way my head started reeling when I saw her. The way everything floated away from us, until it was just her and I. Her large brown eyes looked up at me. Her laugh. Her smile. Her kiss….

I make my way downstairs, still in a cloud of thought, and make myself breakfast. For some reason I choose waffles. I don’t know why. I haven't really had them since I was in elementary school. 

I sit down at the table next to Nancy. I’m barely aware of my hands as they move to the bottle of syrup on the table. My mind seems to be full of thoughts, but it can’t seem to land or focus on any of them. 

“Slow down there,” I hear someone say. I look up sharply to find Nancy looking at me, then look down to find a pool of syrup, with my waffle floating in the middle.

“Shit,” I mutter.

“Language, Michael,” my dad says from his side of the table. He is nose deep in this morning’s newspaper. He barely even looks up when he talks to me.

“Sorry,” I say.

“How did the dance go last night?” Nancy asks. “I noticed you left early.”

“How did you know that?” I ask, startled. “I thought you weren’t there.”

Nancy’s eyes widen for a moment before her calm exterior returns. “I just….came to hang out with some friends who were volunteering, that’s all.”

I frown. I didn’t see any of Nancy’s friends there. But, what do I know? We never really talk about friends with each other. She could’ve met a whole new group of friends since the last time I cared enough to pay attention. 

We stop asking each other questions. Neither of us want to give answers. I _can’t _give her answers. What would she think of me, what would_ everyone _think of me, if they knew about El?__

I eat what I can of my waffle and finish getting ready before Lucas and Dustin show up. We visit Steve at the video store every Saturday just to keep him sane, and to try and get him to rent out movies to us for free. 

“You look happy,” Lucas comments as I catch up to them on the road. 

“You should know,” Dustin says. “You were the one who got a dance last night.”

Lucas frowns. “Can we please not talk about that right now? I’m in enough trouble as it is. Billy definitely knows, and even if he doesn’t, we don’t know who could be listening right now.”

“Sorry,” Dustin says.

I let out a small breath, thankful for the change in subject. They still haven’t said anything about El, so that means Lucas must’ve not seen her somehow when he was looking for me in the crowd last night.

I wish I could talk to them about it. Lucas and Dustin are the people in my life who would be the most likely to accept El. But that doesn’t change the fact that they aren’t supposed to. We can tell each other anything, but there are some things that we just decide not to bring up. Or at least I do. If I did, it might test their loyalty to the Snakes. Everything would be more complicated than it already is.

No one is at the counter when we enter the store.

“They’re probably on a break,” Lucas says.

“Both of them?” I ask.

“Well, Robin is probably on her break, and Steve is probably just not doing his job,” Lucas explains.

“Got it,” I say.

Lucas and Dustin make their way to the back room of the store. I decide to stay and look at the movies. I mutter the genres as my finger slides over the labels. “Action, adventure, comedy, horror.” Suddenly El pops into my head again. I remember the way her eyes lit up when I talked about wanting to make movies. I wish I’d asked her what her favorite was. Maybe I could have rented it so we could watch it together.

I stop myself before my mind can wander too far. It’s ridiculous to think those things. El and I wouldn’t be able to do anything normal together without having to look over our shoulders all the time. I can’t do that to her. For now, I’ll have to make due with meeting her later today, after Melvald’s closes. And I know that that will be enough for now.

I look up as Robin emerges from the break room followed by Dustin and Lucas. Something seems off about everyone. Dustin fidgets with his fingers, Lucas chews on his lip, and they are both giving Robin concerned glances.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

“I thought he would tell you guys,” Robin starts. “Steve went to negotiate a rumble with Billy at the junkyard.”

“Jesus,” I say, straightening up. “Do you think it’s because of last night?”

“I don’t know,” Robin says. “He just showed up here this morning and told Steve to meet him there at noon.”

“He’s not allowed to be here,” Lucas says. “Steve should have just beat him up like Billy did to us.”

“Those aren’t the rules,” Dustin says. “Leaders are allowed to go wherever as long as it’s to discuss a rumble. He just came to talk to Steve, nothing else.”

“That we know of,” Lucas mutters.

“It doesn’t matter,” I say. “What matters is Steve agreed to meet with him. We need to go, right now.”

“What are we going to do, stop it?” Lucas says, following me out the door. 

“If this is over that stupid dance, Billy is after you,” I say, picking up my bike. “Do you want to fight Billy?”

“I won’t let him hurt me,” Lucas insists.

“How do you know that?” I ask. “Him and his friends took us down pretty easily in the alleyway the other day. Now he’ll have all of the Blades behind him to distract us from protecting you.”

“So? We’ll have all the Snakes behind us too,” Lucas says. “Plus, it can’t be about that dance. He wouldn’t start a rumble over it.”

“Billy? I’m not so sure,” I say.

“Either way, we can’t just march in there and try to talk to him,” Dustin says. “If we show up unexpectedly, he’ll think Steve set him up or something.”

“He’s right,” Lucas says.

I sigh. “How long ago did Steve leave?”

“Just a few minutes before you guys got here,” Robin says.

“Maybe we can catch him before he gets there,” I say.

“Not by bike,” Lucas laughs.

“Let me drive you,” Robin says.

We nod, and rush to where her car is parked. 

The junkyard is closer to the edge of town, near El’s house. It’s been our meeting place for rumbles for years now. It’s far enough away from the center of town so that no one will spot us and call the police, but still within the town’s boundaries so that it can’t be considered neutral.

Steve’s car is already there when we arrive. Robin parks next to it, and I jump out of the car before anyone can stop me. 

"Mike!" Robin shouts from inside the car. 

"Stay in the car," I say to her calmly. "That way we can make a quick getaway if we need to." 

She gives me an exasperated look, but complies. She knows she can't stop me. 

I start forward, already hearing Dustin and Lucan clambering out of the car to follow me. 

Steve and Billy are already in the junkyard’s clearing, a few yards away from where we parked. They look like they’re talking calmly for now. I move closer and duck behind a rusty barrel.

“Mike, what are you doing?” Dustin asks from a few feet behind me. “If Billy hears or sees us, we’re dead. Do you realize that?”

“Then shut up,” I say. “You can leave if you want. I want to listen.”

“Oh my god oh my god oh my god,” Dustin says, moving to crouch beside me. “I can’t believe I’m doing this. I cannot believe I’m doing this.”

“Dustin,” Lucas whispers fiercely as he joins us.

“Sorry, sorry. Shutting up now.”

“Look, it was just a dance,” I hear Steve say. “We really don’t need to start a fight over something that wasn’t a big deal in the first place.”

“Come on, Harrington,” Billy says. “You know it’s about more than that. The Snakes have been dominating this town for long enough. You guys think you can do anything you want to our people. You’ve been spotted on our side of town more times than I can count. These last few days have just proven that even more. I say we fight tomorrow night. Eight o’clock.”

I wish I could speak up and beg Steve not to fight. But I already know what he’s thinking. If he backs down, we’re as good as over. The only way to gain power is through winning a fight. 

Steve looks down at the ground and sighs. “Fine. It’s your loss anyway.”

“Shit,” I say aloud.

Billy looks towards us sharply, and we abruptly duck down further. 

_Oh my God _, Dustin mouths.__

__We stay huddled together on the ground for a few seconds before Billy starts talking again._ _

“I don’t plan on it, Harrington,” he says. I raise my head up a few inches to see Billy walking away toward his car at the other end of the clearing. Lucas and Dustin raise themselves up on their knees to watch him go. Steve stands still until he drives away, then shakes his head and turns around to walk back to his car. He sees us almost immediately.

“What the hell are you guys doing here?” he asks.

“We wanted to see what was happening,” Dustin says. “Robin told us where you were.”

Steve puts his hand on his forehead. “Oh great. She’s here too. Do you know how much danger this puts you guys in?”

“Yes. Yes, _I _did,” Dustin says, glaring at me.__

__“I jus-,” I start._ _

__“I don’t want to hear it, you guys,” Steve says. “It’s hard enough to deal with Billy on my own. If he had seen you, I don’t know what he could have done to you guys.”_ _

__“Sorry,” I say. I know that the plan was stupid. I should have known that it would be too late to stop Steve from agreeing to Billy’s proposition. I should’ve known that Steve would have said yes anyway, no matter what we did. Because Steve never says no to a fight._ _

__“It’s ok,” Steve sighs. “Now come on. I’m missing work.”_ _

__Lucas and Dustin get up to follow Steve to his car, but I stay where I am._ _

__Steve turns back and looks at me, exasperated. “What?”_ _

__“If you care so much about us not getting hurt, why did you agree to the rumble?” I ask. The words boil up and out of me suddenly. I can’t keep them down anymore._ _

__Steve opens his mouth, but I interrupt him._ _

__“I already know what you’re going to say. You’re afraid of losing power. What might happen then? If the Snakes refuse to fight Blades? They’ll go down in history as cowards. And you can’t have that.”_ _

__They all look at me like I’ve lost my mind._ _

__“If I didn’t agree to the fight, no one in this town would know what to do!” Steve shouts. “I’m the leader. It’s my job to do this. It’s what everyone expects of me.”_ _

__His voice tapers off, and weakens as he says the last sentence. It makes me want to push further. “Do you even really want to do this?”_ _

__He stares at me in silence. I see his jaw clench, and his eyes harden. When he speaks, his voice is hoarse._ _

__“It’s what everyone expects of me.”_ _


	8. I Feel Pretty

El's POV

“So, did you guys have fun at the dance last night?” Will asks from beside me. Melvald’s is as empty as always. We finished our work an hour ago, so we’re once again sitting on the cashier’s counter and waiting for the store to close.

I keep glancing out of the corner of my eye to make sure Mike isn’t here yet. I can’t let him come in before Max and Will leave. 

“Eh,” Max shrugs, looking down. “It was nothing special.”

I can tell by the way she fidgets in her place that she is not telling the complete truth. Maybe she ended up having more fun than she’s letting on.

“Are you sure about that?” I chuckle.

Max’s eyes narrow. “Says you. You haven’t been able to stop smiling all day.”

I look down, feeling my cheeks growing hot.

“Tell me,” Will says, looking back and forth between the two of us.

“It’s nothing,” I insist.

“Yeah. It’s nothing for me either,” Max says. Her eyes suddenly look distant, and she clenches her jaw as if she’s thinking of something that frightens her.

“Well, I had no luck at the dance whatsoever,” Will says. “After you and Max disappeared in the crowd, I was just stuck on my own out there.”

“I’m sorry Will,” I say.

“And then you left the dance entirely!” Will continues. “What was that about?”

“Hop,” I sigh. “He just got nervous because of some kids talking about jumping someone at the dance.”

“Who?” Max asks abruptly.

I shrug. “He didn’t say.”

Max bites her lip and looks towards the clock. “Well, it’s six o’clock. Wanna go to the arcade?”

“Sure,” Will says.

“I….think I’m going to stay here for a while,” I say. “Clean up a few things.”

Will looks at me skeptically. “Are you sure you’re ok? We never stay late.”

“Yes,” I say. I narrow my eyes at Max in the secretive way that we usually do when we can’t tell each other something at the moment. Max usually does it to me whenever Billy comes into conversation. She doesn’t talk about him often, and when she does, the conversation is always short and she develops this frantic and frightened air about her. Kind of like the one she’s had all day today.

Mad nods. “Come on, Will. Let's leave her to it,” she says, linking her arm through his and hopping down from the counter. “I bet you can beat me at Dragon’s Lair.”

“Yeah right,” Will chuckles. The door shuts behind them, and the sound of it echoes throughout the empty room. It’s strange to be alone in a room that’s usually populated by people. Well, at least a few people. It feels forbidden, so much so that your heart picks up speed and every sound makes you jolt. Not necessarily because you’re afraid of being alone, but you’re afraid of someone finding you. All alone in a place where you should be surrounded by people. If someone finds you, that strange, wrong, but also peaceful feeling would be disturbed. 

I hear a knock on the door, and whip my head around to face the front of the store. 

“Mike,” I say to myself before sprinting toward the door to throw it open.

“Hi,” he says with a surprised chuckle. 

“You made it,” I say. I pull him inside and throw my arms around him.

“I made it,” he says softly, hugging me back.

I pull away. “I was worried Max and Will wouldn’t leave before you got here.”

He smiles a tight lipped smile.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

He hesitates for a moment, his eyes scanning the store behind me. “I have to tell you something.”

I nod. “Ok.” I lead him into the back room. No one is out on the streets right now as far as I can see, but you never know, and the front wall of Melvald’s is mostly made of glass. We can’t risk anyone seeing us.

“What is it?” I ask, flipping on the light and closing the door behind us. 

He shifts his weight and runs a hand through his hair. “This morning, Steve agreed to a rumble with the Blades.”

“A rumble?” I ask. “Why? Nothing happened. Nothing that I heard of at least.”

“I don’t know,” Mike says, shaking his head. “Sometimes things just bubble over. Apparently Max was dancing with my friend Lucas at the dance. I guess that’s what sent Billy over the edge.”

Of course. That’s why Max was acting so weird today. She must’ve known that Billy had found out. And that’s why she wouldn’t say much about the dance. It must’ve meant more to her than she wants to let on, to us and to herself. My heart aches suddenly. I wish I could talk to her. Tell her that she’s not alone. 

“Just because of a dance?” I finally ask. “I’m sure Max didn’t know. She wouldn’t have done something like that. She knows how Billy would react.”

“I know. Lucas didn’t know either,” Mike says. “I tried to get Steve to refuse, but it didn’t work.”

“Can’t you try to talk this out somehow? Instead of fighting over it, and risking someone getting hurt?”

Mike sighs. “I wish I could. But there’s no talking it out with Billy. Like I said, he was probably just looking for an excuse for a rumble.”

I nod. I’d already known the answer to the question before I’d asked it. Just like I know that Mike thinks he has no other choice but to join in the fight as well. And I can’t control his decisions.

“I just wish things could be normal here,” I say. My voice comes out raspier than I thought it would. “I wish we didn’t have to worry so much.”

I let my head drop, and suddenly I feel Mike’s arms encircle me. I wrap my arms around his waist and he rests his chin on top of my head. Suddenly, I’m taken back to the moment I first saw him. The way I felt everything bad slip away from me, and everything good come into focus. How unbelievably at home I felt.

“I think I might have an idea,” Mike mutters.

“What do you mean?” I ask, pulling away slightly to look up at him. 

“I mean I think I might have an idea for how we can be out in the open without having to be afraid.”

I furrow my eyebrows. I can’t think of any possible place in town like that where we wouldn’t have to worry about _someone _seeing us.__

__Mike laughs. “Just meet me later tonight, around eight. On the road outside the path to your house.”_ _

__I shake my head, even more perplexed. “I’ll have to sneak away from Hopper.”_ _

“Well, we could wait until sometime next week, after the rumble is over with,” Mike says. “Then, we could do it during the day, and you could just tell him you’re going out with friends.”

“No,” I say immediately. The words shoot out of my mouth. Something about the thought of not seeing him again until after the rumble sends a shock of dread through my stomach. “It’ll be fine. Let’s meet tonight.”

“Are you sure?” Mike asks, gazing at me curiously.

“Yes,” I say. “And, speaking of Hopper, I should probably get home before he starts to worry.”

“Ok,” Mike says. He pulls away and makes his way out the door, but not before turning back to look at me with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “See you tonight, El.”

I smile. “See you tonight, Mike.”


	9. One Hand, One Heart

El's POV

Eight o’clock can’t come fast enough. Before I leave, I grab my cheat sheet for morse code, and tuck it in the pocket on my jeans. Hopper taught me morse code when he first adopted me, in case of emergency. Now I think the skill might serve another purpose. Now it’ll be easier to talk to Mike even when we can’t see each other, and no one will be able to overhear us. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it earlier. 

Once Hopper is asleep, I sneak out through the front door before sprinting through the woods and onto the edge of the dimly lit street. 

Mike is already coming down the street when I arrive. He’s on his bike, with a large, heavy looking backpack hanging on his back.

“Hi,” he says, still panting from the ride.

“Hi,” I laugh. “Will you tell me what we’re doing now?”

“It’ll make more sense when we get there, I swear,” Mike says.

I raise my eyebrows. “You mean we’re not already there?”

Mike laughs, then takes his backpack off and places it in front of him on the bike before patting the seat behind him. “Hop on.”

“You want me to….?”

“Don’t worry,” he chuckles. “Just hang on to me. You’ll be fine.”

I nod, before climbing onto the small seat behind his and wrapping my arms around his waist.

“Ready?” he asks.

I take a shaky breath. “Ready.”

He sets off down the road. It’s not as hard to stay on as I thought it would be. Mike pumps his legs at a steady rhythm and we cruise down the street at a comfortable pace. 

“Almost there,” he says after a while. I still haven’t figured out where we’re going. We seem to be headed in the direction of the junkyard, but I have no idea why he would want to go there. 

Eventually, we pass the turn that would lead there at all. I see a sign looming in the distance. The "Leaving Hawkins" sign. 

“Mike-aaaah!” Suddenly the road curves in a steep downward slope. We pick up speed and I see trees whizzing by us on either side. My stomach drops and I bury my face in Mike’s back. I feel him laughing as we continue to speed down the drop, and I eventually join in. Mike turns to look at me, an exhilarated smile on his face.

“Did you know that was there?!” I yell against the wind. 

“I swear I didn’t,” he yells back, laughing uncontrollably.

“Well, keep your eyes on the road!” I say. “We’re not doing that again.”

Mike turns back around. “You have to admit, that was kind of fun.”

“Maybe a little,” I agree, feeling the fresh air return to my lungs. I’ve heard about adrenaline, but I don’t think I’d ever experienced it before tonight. Both Hopper and the orphanage would ever allow me to get into a situation where I _could _feel it. But, as my lungs flood with new air, and my heart beats to a strong, stable rhythm, I realize I’ve never felt more free.__

__Mike skids to a stop just past the exit sign. He steps off of the bike, lugging his backpack up with him, and I follow._ _

__Mike gestures to the space around us. “Welcome to the world outside of Hawkins. No one will be able to find us out here.” He takes my hand and leads me into the woods on the side of the road. “Plus, everything outside Hawkins, beyond the junkyard, is neutral.”_ _

We keep walking until we come upon a small clearing.

“It’s beautiful,” I say. The trees tower over us, but the clearing is illuminated by the light of the moon and the dazzling stars around it. You can see the stars from where I live, but the trees cover up the sky so much that it’s hard to see too many at a time. Here, it’s like I’m seeing a part of the universe just above me.

“Have you been here before?” I ask.

“My family went on a picnic here once,” Mike says, setting down his backpack and kneeling down to unzip it. “A very rare occasion.”

He pulls out a few bags of chips, two sheets, and something that looks like a large box with two wheels coming out of the side of it.

“What is that?” I ask.

“A film projector,” Mike says. “My friend, Dustin, learned how to make one at this science camp he went to a few years ago. He gave me this one, but I’ve never had the chance to use it. Until tonight.”

My mouth gapes open. “We’re having a movie night?”

Mike smirks. “Yup.”

“This is so cool,” I say, kneeling down next to him as he takes a few short poles out of his backpack and attaches them to the projector before propping it up on top of them. “How in the world did he figure out how to make that?”

“I honestly have no idea,” Mike laughs. “He’s kind of a genius. He hates school though. At least, every subject other than science. After we became more involved with the Snakes, he didn’t even seem to like that anymore.”

“How long ago did you guys join?” I ask softly.

“We’ve always sort of been involved. It’s kind of hard not to be,” Mike says. I nod. I know exactly what he means. 

“But we only started fully being involved with the rumbles and all of that stuff in the past....year or so,” he adds. “We've never actually ever fought in a rumble. Steve tries to keep us out of most fights really." He pauses for a solemn moment before continuing. "Dustin and Lucas used to love learning about ham radios, and old film projectors like this.” His eyes suddenly become distant, as if he’s looking back on all of those memories. I can’t tell if he’s thinking of them fondly or not.

His eyes snap back into focus after a moment, and he stands up, grabbing one of the sheets and moving to the edge of the clearing. 

“Alright,” he starts. “I’m going to tie one of the corners to….,” he looks around at the branches of the trees. When he finds one that he must think is high up enough, he points excitedly. “Here. And you tie the other corner on any branch you can find that’s about the same height.” I nod, and we secure both sides rather quickly.

“I hope that’ll stay,” Mike mutters under his breath. He moves back to the projector, and positions it in front of the sheet. 

“What are we going to watch?” I ask.

“I honestly don’t remember what it's called,” Mike says. “Apparently the movie theater my mom worked at would give some of their best employees reels of film after they were done playing in theaters. I don’t know why really. She didn’t have anything to play it on back then.”

“Well, now she does,” I say.

“Yeah,” Mike says. “She lent this movie to me when Dustin gave me the machine. She was really excited about it, but we never got the chance to watch it.”

We walk back to spread out the picnic blanket in front of the projector. Mike throws the bags of chips on top of it and we both sit down beside each other to watch. The movie is called _Roman Holiday _.__

Mike immediately remembers all the times his mom has raved about it. I end up enjoying it, and it seems like Mike does too. By the end, we both end up on our backs, using our arms as head rests. Soon, the film stops, and the clearing becomes darker than we’ve become accustomed to. The air feels colder than it did when we got here, and I feel myself shiver against the biting breeze. 

“You cold?” Mike asks. I look to my side to find him looking at me with concerned eyes.

“A little,” I say. “But it’s fine.” I say the last part quickly. I don’t want to give Mike any excuse to take me back home right now. I need this night to go on for at least a little longer.

Mike sits up before taking his zip-up hoodie off from where it clings loosely to his shoulders, and holds it out towards me. “Here. Take it.”

I look at the sweatshirt, then back up at him, and at the very thin blue t-shirt he’s wearing. “Won’t _you _be cold?”__

__He shrugs. “I’ll be fine.”_ _

__“Are you sure?” I ask, slowly taking it from him._ _

__He laughs. “Yes. Now, come on. You look freezing.”_ _

__I look down at my arms, every inch of them covered in goosebumps. I put the sweatshirt on, and I’m immediately smothered by a layer of comforting warmth. It’s slightly oversized on me, so I can easily tuck my hands into the sleeves as well._ _

__“Thank you,” I breathe._ _

__Mike chuckles. “No problem.”_ _

__We lie back down beside each other on the picnic blanket._ _

__“I’m sorry I didn’t bring another blanket or anything,” Mike says. “I guess I forgot how cold it gets out here at night.”_ _

__“Are you kidding?” I chuckle. “This place is perfect. How did you ever leave it the first time you came here?”_ _

__Mike snickers. “I wish I never did. Being here reminds me that there is an outside. And you only have to go this far to finally get out of Hawkins.”_ _

__“What keeps you?” I ask._ _

__Mike goes silent. I wonder if I’ve asked too much. He lets out a puff of air before speaking again. “I don’t know. I’m scared, I guess. I can’t imagine leaving all of my friends behind without knowing if they’ll be safe or not. I’d feel like it was my fault if anything happened to them, because I wasn’t there to help them.”_ _

__“That’s why you fight,” I say, once again feeling a sense of uneasiness deep within me. “That’s why you’re going to fight tomorrow.”_ _

__Mike nods. “I think so.” He scoffs, then adds, “I don’t know, maybe I would wait until we were all out of school. Steve always tells us how important staying in school is. Then maybe I’d ask them if they wanted to come with me. They could leave without having to leave school behind. I’m sure our families would be more accepting of it that way.”_ _

__He pauses for a moment before he continues. “But I’d want to take Holly with me if I left, and, either way, I don’t know how that would work. I don’t know, sometimes it’s better not to think about the specifics.”_ _

__“Who’s Holly?” I ask, turning my head towards him._ _

__He faces me as well. “Who’s Holly?” he chuckles. His eyes seem happier when he says her name. “Holly’s my sister. She’s six.” He frowns, the bright glint in his eyes abruptly vanishing. “I don’t ever want her to feel trapped here, like I do. She’s smart. She’s really smart. And I don’t want her to….to grow up here. I want her to have a good future.” He sighs. “Maybe it’s better if she stays here though. Maybe if I leave her here, she’ll look up to Nancy-my other sister-more. Nancy’s a better role model than me. She’s smart too, and she’s going to college. It would probably be better if I wasn’t around Holly at all actually.”_ _

__“You’re smart too,” I say._ _

__He laughs. “I don’t know about that.”_ _

__“Well,” I say. “If you were to leave….forgetting about all of the complications….where would you go? What would you do?”_ _

__It takes him a long time to answer. I wouldn’t know how to answer the question either. I’ve just barely even learned what it’s like to live in a normal, populated town. Or as normal as it can be. I can’t even imagine what I’d do if I had the whole world at my fingertips._ _

__“I haven’t really thought about that part,” Mike says._ _

__Suddenly I remember what Mike told me last night, when we met on the porch outside of my house._ _

__“What if you followed your dream and became a filmmaker?” I say._ _

__Mike looks taken aback for a moment, then says, “That was only a dream.”_ _

__“So what?” I snicker. Mike joins in my laughter._ _

__“Yeah,” he says finally. “So what?”_ _

__We talk like that for what seems like forever. It still isn’t long enough for me. We talk so much our lips grow dry and our throats get tired. I feel my eyelids fluttering, until eventually, I can’t hold them open any longer. Just before I drift off, I hear Mike’s breathing become slower and deeper. I let myself fall asleep beside him._ _

__***_ _

__Cool air brushes across my cheek as I wake up, but I feel strangely warm. When my eyes adjust to the moonlight, I see Mike sleeping peacefully beside me, his pale face surrounded by a halo of wavy black hair. We are both lying on our sides, facing each other. I smile as I notice our hands resting between us, our fingers intertwined tightly._ _

__“Mike,” I say, moving my hand to cup his cheek lightly. He lifts his head up, and his dark eyes flutter open. They look innocent, and even more loving than they usually are when he’s just woken up._ _

__“We should go,” I say. “If Hopper sees that I’m gone-”_ _

__Mike nods, sitting up quickly. He rubs his eyes, and checks the black watch that sits on his wrist. “Shit. It’s almost midnight.”_ _

__“You mean we stayed out here for almost four hours!?” I exclaim._ _

__Mike stands up and rushes forward and quickly dismantles the projector while I fold both of the sheets. We stuff everything back into his backpack and rush to where his bike is parked. We jump on and Mike speeds down the road. Luckily the ride isn’t that far, so it doesn't take long to get back to the pathway in front of the cabin._ _

__Mike stops, and I reluctantly climb off._ _

__“Mike,” I say, before he goes, suddenly remembering the cheat sheet I had put in my pocket earlier this evening. “I almost forgot to give you this.”_ _

__I take the paper out of my pocket and hand it to him. He looks confused for a moment, then his face lights up._ _

__“Morse code,” he says. “Now we can talk to each other whenever we want without having to worry.”_ _

__“Exactly,” I say. I stay still for a moment. I can’t seem to bring myself to leave._ _

__“Thank you,” I say. “Tonight was….perfect.”_ _

__Mike smiles shyly. “Thank you for agreeing to it. I had no idea if any of this was going to work. Dustin may be smart, but building a whole projector seemed pretty ambitious.”_ _

__“Well, tell him I said thank you,” I say. Then my heart stops for a moment. Mike’s gaze shifts to the ground._ _

__“I’m sorry,” I say. “I wasn’t thinking.”_ _

__“It’s ok,” Mike says. “For a minute, I forgot too.”_ _

__I nod, then glance behind me. “I should get back. And hope Hopper hasn’t woken up.”_ _

__Mike nods. “Good luck.”_ _

__We stand still for a moment. Mike doesn’t move to ride the rest of the way home, and I don’t turn around to walk to mine._ _

__“Mike?” I say._ _

__“Mmhm?”_ _

__I lean down and place my hand on his cheek. Before I can do anything else, Mike clutches my arm and pulls me closer until our lips meet. I feel fireworks on my lips and my fingertips. I want to hold onto him until the world ends. I feel his mouth part slightly beneath mine, and our heads move together to continue the kiss._ _

__When I finally pull away, I do it slowly. I feel his eyelashes brush against my cheek as he opens his eyes. His cheeks and nose are, once again, bright pink. I feel myself begin to smile._ _

__“Thank you, again,” I mutter._ _

__His eyes are wide, and a slight smile spreads across his face as well. “I’ll see you soon, El.”_ _

__I nod. Even though I don’t know when we’ll be able to see each other. With the rumble coming tomorrow, nothing is certain. I just wish I could see what happens next for us._ _

__But I know I can’t. So I force my feet to turn in the dirt and carry me back into the woods. To whatever may be awaiting me at home._ _


	10. There Will be no Morning Star

El's POV

My heart skids to a stop as I near the cabin. Once again, Hopper’s silhouette is framed by the light in the doorway. His arm rests on the door frame, and his feet are planted firmly on the ground.

I freeze in place when I see him, my mind reaching out to grasp any excuse that it can. Nothing’s coming. But I know he can see me, so I take a deep breath and continue forward.

When I reach the steps leading up to the porch, I can feel the anger rolling off of him in waves. His jaw is set, and his face is a dull shade of red. He stands stiffly, as if all of his muscles are tensed.

“Where the hell were you?” he asks through his teeth.

I clench my jaw and look down. “I went to see Max.”

Hopper scoffs and rubs his hand down his face. “You snuck out of the house to see Max?”

I nod. 

“Ok,” Hopper says, shifting his weight. “So who’s sweatshirt is that then? Am I supposed to assume that Max gave you that?”

I look down at myself, startled. I hadn’t even realized that I’d never given it back to Mike before he left. I feel Hopper’s gaze on me grow more scrutinizing. 

“Yes,” I mutter. “Max gave me it to ride back here because it was so cold.”

Hopper sighs. I doubt he believes me, but he doesn’t say anything, so I continue. 

“Can I go inside now?”

Hopper steps aside and lets me in, slamming the door behind him. I startle, and turn around to face him. 

“Don’t you understand how dangerous it is out there?” he asks sternly. 

“Yes,” I say quietly. 

“Well, you obviously don't understand!” Hopper exclaims, coming closer. “All I ask is that you stay here at night. You stay safe, in a place where I can protect you. And you can’t even do that!”

I flinch away from his shouts. 

“I’m sorry,” he says, leveling his voice again. “I just need you to tell me the truth. Why in the world did you think you had to sneak out tonight?”

I swallow. Open my mouth. Close it. Nothing comes to mind. I can’t tell him the truth. But anything else I tell him would be just as bad. “Nothing happened. I was safe the whole time,” I mutter.

Hopper sighs in frustration and turns to pace around the living room. “What has gotten into you lately? You’ve been coming home later and later every night. Now, you deliberately sneak out at night to go….God knows where. What is it going to take for you to realize what things are like out there? The world isn't some haven where you can do whatever, whenever you want to. Things aren’t like the orphanage here. Out here, there are real consequences, El. And you’re going to learn that the hard way if you don’t listen to me!”

“It was one night!” I burst. “Can’t I just have one night where I can be a normal teenager? Where don’t have to worry about everything everyone is telling me about the stupid gangs, and where I can and can’t go, or who I can and can’t look at or talk to? You think I’m not made aware of all of this every single day? It’s all anyone ever talks about around here! But it was just one night! And it was fun. And I was fine. And for once, I wasn’t scared anymore.”

Hopper doesn’t speak. He just watches me.

I feel my face heat up. My skin buzzes with energy I’ve kept in for too long. “I’m sick of all of this! It’s suffocating! I never asked to live here with you!”  
Hopper’s eyes lower and his lips press against each other. My hands have curled into fists at my side and my breath comes in hot puffs of air. We stand, facing each other like that for minutes before Hopper finally speaks again. His voice is deep and gravely. I’ve never heard it like that before.

“You’re grounded. For a week,” he says. “You go to school and back. And I’m driving you both ways. No more bike rides or hanging out with your friends.”

“What? You can’t do that,” I breathe. I feel my chest start to convulse as one thought becomes perfectly clear. The fight is tomorrow. I won’t be able to see Mike. 

“Yes, I can,” Hopper says. “And even if you don’t want to live with me, you do. And as long as you do, you’re going to learn to abide by my rules.”

“But-”

Hopper holds up a hand. “I don’t….want to hear it right now, El. I’m going to bed.”

He leaves me, standing motionless in the middle of the living room. I feel tears well up in my eyes. When I first left the orphanage, everything seemed so new and free. At the orphanage, the walls were beginning to close in on me. They were all I ever knew, and all I began to believe I would ever know. But out here, the world seemed limitless. Everything was new, and there were no walls holding me back from anything. Even the gangs didn’t seem like a big deal to me for the first few months. Especially not before I met Mike. 

Now, things feel different. Or rather, they feel dreadfully familiar. I feel like I’m back there again. The outside world has once again become a place that I am supposed to fear. Except now that fear is heightened. Because a part of me knows that this time I should be afraid, no matter how much I want things to be different. Even worse is the fact that I won’t be able to see Mike, or hear his voice before the fight. Or hear if he’s ok or not afterwards.

I turn and rush into my room, shutting the door behind me before I let out my tears and sink to the floor. Horrid thoughts flood my head. What if Mike gets hurt? What if he won’t be able to get in touch with me? How will I ever know if he’s all right?

I have to see him again. Before the fight. As soon as possible. Because something deep down inside me tells me that this is important. That I might not get another chance.

I take a deep breath and stand up, then quietly sneak back into the living room, where Hopper keeps the radio. Then I send out my message. I don’t know if he’ll be able to hear, but I repeat the code until my fingers ache and my eyes begin to droop from exhaustion. I don’t hear anything back. I just hope he hears. I can only hope.


	11. Endless Night

Mike's POV

It’s past midnight when I finally pull up to my house. No lights are on inside, and I can’t make out any movement. Nobody noticed I was gone.

I breathe out a sigh of relief and peddle towards the side of the house, where the door that leads to the basement is. If I go in through the front door, I’m bound to wake someone up. But when I turn the corner, a dark shadow comes into view. It’s leaning down in front of the door, trying to get it open.

“Jesus!” comes out of my mouth before I can think. The shadow jolts up and turns towards me. My breath hitches before I can finally see its face. 

“Nancy?” I ask.

“What are you doing out here?” she hisses.

“What are _you _doing out here?” I shoot back.__

__Nancy opens her mouth, but the words seem to get stuck in her throat. Her eyes glance around, contemplating before she finally responds, “I was….with friends.”_ _

__When she looks at me, her eyes seem frantic, but happy at the same time. Suddenly I remember what she said at breakfast today. How she seemed so nervous when I asked her why she came to the school dance. And how nervous _I _was when she asked me why I came home late that night.___ _

____I nod. Nancy looks surprised for a moment, before she steps aside slowly and lets me open the door for both of us. I stuff my bike under some bushes, swinging my weighty backpack over my shoulders before we step inside. I know that either opening the garage door or carrying my bike through the house and into the garage would provide even more opportunities for me to wake up our parents._ _ _ _

____Once we’re inside, I start up the basement stairs that lead to the kitchen._ _ _ _

____“Wait,” I hear behind me. I turn around to face Nancy, letting my right foot dangle over the step below me. She is standing at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at me, and then towards my backpack with narrowed eyes. “You never answered me. Why were you out there?”_ _ _ _

I let my leg fall down to land on the step beneath me. “I was….with friends,” I say.

She nods in some sort of secret understanding, then joins me at the top of the stairs. We somehow silently make our way through the dark and up the stairs without tripping over ourselves or each other. I walk ahead of Nancy to go to my room.

“Mike,” I hear again.

“Yeah?” I respond. The moon shines through the window in the upstairs hallway, so it’s easier to see Nancy where she stands in front of the door to her bedroom. 

“Be careful,” she says.

I nod. Her words confirm my suspicions for the most part. Now that I know I feel like I should tell her everything. But when I open my mouth and look up at her, she sends me a message with her eyes. Some things need to be left unspoken. Maybe because it’s less real that way, so we won’t have to come to terms with what a mistake we may both be making.

But I have to ask her one thing. One thing that’s been weighing on me since this began.

“Is it worth it? You know, all the sneaking around?” 

Nancy purses her lips. “For me?” She sighs before she continues. “A few months ago I would’ve thought not. Now, I’m not so sure.”

I nod. “Yeah. Yeah, I guess I agree.”

Her smile is sad, and the moon illuminates her sparkling eyes. I can tell she's holding back tears. “Goodnight, Mike.”

She disappears into her bedroom. After a moment, I enter mine. I feel less alone now that I know about Nancy. But it also hurts more, knowing that she has to go through this as well. 

I throw my backpack on the ground with a dull thud, then fall back on my bed. I almost fall asleep right there, but I suddenly hear faint sounds coming from….somewhere.

I pick my head up and look around the room. It’s almost pitch dark in here, but the sound seems to be coming from where my dresser is. I stand up and make my way over, brushing my hands along the top of the dresser.

After a few seconds, they land on my walkie talkie. I hold it up to my ear more closely, confused. At first it just sounds like a series of beeps, with pauses every once in a while. But then I remember.

“El,” I mutter under my breath. I quickly scramble to pull the morse code cheat sheet that she gave me out of my pocket. The sounds become more clear once I study it. I write down the letters as the message repeats.

\- --- -- --- .-. .-. --- .-- “Tomorrow.”

\-- . . - “Meet.”

.--. --- .-. -.-. .... “Porch.”

..... “Five.”

.---- “One.”

..... “Five.”

“Meet me tomorrow on the porch at five fifteen,” I mutter, smiling to myself.

I set down the cheat sheet and my walkie talkie before changing into pajamas and getting in bed. I go to sleep peacefully, anxious for tomorrow. I almost completely forget about the rumble.


	12. Stars Will Stop

Mike's POV

“So, are you guys excited for the rumble?” Dustin asks as we bike our way to Steve’s house. 

Lucas and Dustin called my walkie talkie at one in the afternoon to tell me that Steve wants us to go to his house before the rumble. I’d nearly forgotten about the rumble, and when I was reminded, last night’s strange, dream-like haze that had softened every worry in my world faded away. Last night didn’t change anything. The rumble is still coming. I just hope I can still make it so El’s house before it starts.

“You mean am I excited to show the Blades who really runs this town?” Lucas smirks. “Of course.”

“But….I mean….what if we lose?” Dustin asks tentatively.

“We come back and win next time,” Lucas says. “But we probably won’t lose.”

“We lost that last fight,” I mutter.

Lucas groans. “Can we stop having this conversation? We have all of the Snakes on our side now.”

He pauses, then mutters, “There’s no way we’re going to lose. We can’t lose. We’ve been the dominant gang here for years. If they win, we could lose all of that.”

Lucas bikes ahead of us then, eager to get to Steve’s as soon as possible. 

Dustin shrugs, staring after Lucas as he speeds down the road. 

“Hey, Dustin,” I say. “I, uh. I finally used that projector you made last night.”

I don’t know why I bring it up. It’ll only make me have to answer more questions that I’m not able to. But last night was amazing….I haven’t felt that happy and carefree for a long time. So I feel like I have to thank him.

“You did?” Dustin gasps. “Does it even still work?”

I chuckle. “Yeah. It works perfectly.”

“Why did you decide to use it last night?” Dustin asks.

I shrug. “I don’t know. I….I just did.”

“Cool,” Dustin says. “Well, I’m glad it still works. I kind of miss making that kind of stuff.”

I frown. “You do? I thought you lost interest in it.”

“I mean, a little I guess. I didn’t have as much time for it once we officially became apart of the Snakes. Plus, my mom probably can’t afford to send me to science camp again.” He laughs. “It’s stupid anyway. I shouldn’t have even said that.”

“It’s not stupid,” I say. 

Dustin gives me a questioning look. “What has gotten into you lately? You’re so happy and optimistic. I thought that was like, the opposite of you.”

I shrug. “I don’t know. I just think it’s ridiculous that you think you can’t let yourself dream of being a scientist, or an inventor one day. I really think you could do it.”

Dustin laughs. “Ok, now you really sound crazy.” 

We stop in front of Steve’s house. It’s probably one of the biggest in Hawkins. I’m not sure what Steve’s parents do though. They never seem to be around, and Steve rarely talks about them. I think they’re both in finance or something.

Steve smirks as we lean our bikes against the wall of his house.

“You guys really need to get your licenses,” he chuckles.

Lucas elbows me in the arm. “Soon, he’ll be able to.”

I laugh. “Yeah, in like more than a year.”

"Still," Lucas says. "You'll be the first of us to turn sixteen."

“Yeah, but from what I’ve heard, you’ll never be ready for the test,” Dustin chuckles.

“What do you mean?” I inquire.

Dustin raises his eyebrows. “I mean, according to Nancy, you barely know the difference between the gas and the break.”

“Wha-you talked to Nancy?” I ask. 

“Sometimes I talk to her when we hang out at your house,” Dustin shrugs. 

Nancy has tried to teach me to drive by having me drive around our neighborhood, but I still haven’t gotten the hang of it. I either hit the brakes or the gas too hard. Luckily, Nancy’s a pretty patient teacher. It’s me who hasn’t wanted to do it lately. After a while, it just seemed like I would never get the hang of it, so I lost interest. I guess it would be nice to be able to drive myself around though.

“Oooh, Dustin has a cru-ush,” Lucas sing-songs. 

“Stop it, that’s disgusting,” I cringe.

Steve sighs. “Alright kids. We need to get started.” He leads us around the house and into his backyard. 

“What are we doing exactly?” Dustin asks as we walk.

Steve peaks at us over his shoulder. “Training.”

“Training? What training do you need for a rumble?” I ask.

We reach the backyard, and Steve turns around to face us. “This is your guys’ first _actual _rumble, isn’t it?”__

We all nod.

“Well, you may not know it, but there are actually a few rules to a rumble. I just wanted to go over them so you won’t make a fool of yourselves.” He pauses, then says. “Or get killed.”

Dustin looks over at me with wide eyes.

“The rules are as follows,” Steve continues. “No weapons of any kind. You use your fists and legs to fight, that’s all. We aim to fight, not to kill. So don’t beat someone up so bad that they won’t be able to come back from it, alright?”

We nod.

“Rule number two is my rule for you guys. And that’s to fight. If you don’t defend yourself, you’ll get hurt, and none of you are ending up in the hospital. Not on my watch. Kapeesh?”

We nod again.

“Now, from what I saw at the fight that day in the alleyway, none of you know how to defend yourselves properly. So today, I’m going to teach you how to actually block a punch. And maybe how to fight altogether.”

I look over at Lucas to find him rolling his eyes. 

“Hey,” Steve says. “Do you want to win this fight or not?”

“Of course,” Lucas says.

Steve smirks. “So let’s get started.”

For the next few hours, Steve shows us a ton of ways to block kicks and punches. We practice pushing the punch or kick out of the way using our forearms, and then using the attackers surprise to our advantage. Steve tells us that wherever someone isn’t protecting themselves, and we see an opening, we should attack. He teaches us how to use our hips to propel our punches and make them more powerful. And after a while all of us get pretty good at it. But all I can think about the whole time is how different things will be when we actually confront the Blades. How are we going to remember all of this when we’re actually in danger? 

I try to block these thoughts out. Thoughts of El replace them. Training doesn’t seem like it’s coming to a close anytime soon, and I won’t make it to see her if I don’t leave soon.

“Guys,” I say.

Steve looks up, dropping his arms from where they are getting ready to block Dustin’s punches. Dustin throws a punch just as he drops them, and hits him square in the jaw.

“Shit!” Steve cries out.

Dustin’s mouth gapes open. “Sorry, I thought you were going to block that.”

“Yeah, so did I!” Steve says. He rubs his jaw, then looks at Dustin with pride in his eyes. “That was a good punch.”

Dustin grins from ear to ear.

“What were you gonna say?” Lucas asks from beside me.

“Uh,” I start. “I have to go. I’ll meet you there, ok?” 

“Wait wait wait,” Steve says. “Where and why do you have to go?”

“I just….have to go do something back home,” I say. _Nice excuse, Mike _. “Just trust me, I’ll be ready for the fight.”__

__“Ok,” Steve says slowly. “Just remember, it starts at eight.”_ _

Lucas gives me a narrowed eyed glance as I turn around to leave. I ignore him and keep walking. Now they’re really suspicious, and I’ll have a lot to answer to after the rumble, but I don’t care right now. I have to see El before the rumble. I don’t know why, but the closer we get to the rumble, the more I feel like it’s imperative that I see her. I need to let her know that everything will be ok. Even if it doesn’t really feel like that right now.

I fly down the now familiar roads that lead to El’s house. It’s strange how free I feel when I cross over to the Blades’ side of town. I don’t feel like I’m a part of either side anymore. Like I’m not owned by anyone. I’m just me. For so long, not belonging to anyone seemed like the scariest thing in the world. Now, when I let myself believe that I’m just a kid on a bike, riding through town, it’s the least afraid I’ve ever been.

I swing into the woods and up the path to the cabin. Hopper’s car isn’t here, which means he must be at the police station. I check the time. Five-fifteen exactly. Letting my bike drop to the ground, I run up the porch stairs and knock on the door. I shift my weight from foot to foot, and brush my hair away from my face repeatedly until I finally hear the door creak open, and see her staring up at me. 

“Mike,” she breathes. “You made it. Are you ok?”

I chuckle. “Yeah, of course I’m ok.”

El sighs. “You know what I mean.”

I nod, looking down. “I know. I'm fine.” 

I don’t know if I’m really ok or not. I’m not nervous exactly. I don’t really care if I get hurt or not. I’ve gotten hurt before. Everyone has, some worse than me. It’s something to be expected in a rumble. I just can’t stand the thought of leaving El to wonder what happened to all of us. If I were in El’s position….I don’t know what I would do. I don’t want to imagine a situation where she was in as much danger.

“Hopper was awake when I came home last night,” El starts. Her words come quicker, and more frantic as she continues. “And he grounded me. And I know that it’s not a big deal, but I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to see you before the rumble, and I just had to make sure that I could because I-”

“El,” I say. I place my hand on her’s, where it shakes at her side. “It’ll be alright.”

She takes a shaky breath, and nods. “I know. I just….I have a really bad feeling about this. I-I don’t know what it is.”

I interlace my fingers with hers and our hands grip onto each other’s between us. “I’ll be safe. Steve spent all day training us for it anyway. And….I’ll try to make it back here after.”

Her eyes widen. “But if Hop-”

“I’ll….meet you outside your bedroom window,” I say. “Just so you can see I’m alright. And we still have morse code, right?”

She nods. “Right.”

Her hand falls out of mine and she steps away from the door to let me inside. “Hop won’t be home for a few hours. How long will it be until the rumble?”

I step inside hesitantly. Even though I’ve visited El’s house, I’d never even thought of going inside. A Snake stepping foot inside of a Blade's house is unheard of. But when I do, it’s not as frightening and forbidden-feeling as I thought it would be. It’s just El’s house, and it’s just me. 

The house is small, but cozy. The lighting is warm, and the kitchen is just big enough for about three people to stand in. There’s a rickety table just beside the door, just big enough for Chief Hopper and El to sit at, and a worn couch with a small TV sitting on a chest. There are two doors, one on either side of the living room. I assume one is El’s room, and one is Hopper’s.

“I should get back in about three hours,” I answer.

She nods, then bites her lip, thinking. “Are you sure you don’t want to go back to Steve and everyone? I don’t want you to miss out on anything important.”

I shrug. “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”

El sighs, then sits down on the couch and rests her chin on her fist. “I wish I could go with you.”

“No you don’t,” I say abruptly. “Sometimes I wish I could just leave. But once you get involved, it becomes like…..an obligation to stay.”

“But it’s not,” El says. “You could…. _we _could leave.”__

__“What are you talking about?” I ask. We’ve talked about getting out of here before. About running away and starting a whole new life. But none of it was ever real. As much as some part of me wants it to be, a part of me that’s growing more and more by the day, it isn’t. It can’t be real. There’s too much…._ _

“I’m sorry,” El says. “I know that’s ridiculous.”

Her eyes become unfocused, lost, in a sense, and her eyes drops to the cushion beside her. She starts picking at the fabric. I sit down beside her.

“It shouldn’t be ridiculous,” I say. “That’s the problem."

She looks up, a slight smile playing on her lips. “Do you want to do what we usually do?”

“What’s that?” I ask.

“Talk about something else. Make everything go away,” she says.

I smirk. “That would be amazing.”

***

El takes me on a tour of the cabin. First she shows me around the kitchen, which is quite simple and straightforward. She points around as she speaks.

“Microwave. Fridge. Hopper’s stash of canned food and microwave dinners. For when he doesn’t have time to make anything. Which is a lot of the time. I’ve been trying to learn how to make stuff myself. I’m proud to say that I can heat up frozen food and steam vegetables.”

She turns back to me. “I’m sorry, this is boring.”

“No,” I say, laughing. “It’s definitely not.”

I turn around and walk over to the TV in the living room. “What do you like to watch?”

El laughs, her shoulders suddenly pulled in as if she’s embarrassed. “Pretty much everything. Westerns at night. Sometimes Hop and I will catch different cop shows when they’re on.” She laughs fondly. “He always figures out what the big answer to the mystery is before any of the characters do. Which is really cool, but it kind of ruins the fun of it all.”

I smile, watching as she moves excitedly over to the bookshelf at the side of the living room. 

“And this is Hopper’s collection of board games. I think he bought a ton of them before he brought me here, just because he didn’t know what I was interested in.” She pauses. “I’m not sure I knew either.”

“What do you mean?” I ask.

When El turns around, her face is tensed, brows furrowed, her eyes almost confused. “A lot of the time, I can’t seem to remember the specifics of what it was like before.”

“At the orphanage?” I ask. She’s mentioned her past before, but only in passing. From what I’ve heard, it sounds like it was a place she’d rather forget. 

She nods, already turning again to walk towards the door next to the book shelf. I follow her inside. I immediately can tell that this is El’s room. The lighting is brighter in here, yet still warm like in the rest of the cabin. The walls are painted a light green and all of the furniture is made of pale colored wood. My eyes trail to the farthest end of the room, where a bed with a flannel patterned comforter lies on a small but comfortable looking bed. 

When she turns to face me again, her stare is distant, and even though she’s standing right in front of me, she seems miles away. “I never knew my parents. And I was too afraid to ask anyone about them. Dr. Brenner….he was the head of the orphanage. I guess you could call him over-protective, but it’d be an understatement. He didn’t want us exposed to other children, or anything from the outside world, because he thought it would be ‘dangerous’ or ‘a bad influence.’ He had really strict rules. We had to dress in what he wanted us to dress, we had to eat what he thought was the most healthy for us. I’d never had desert until I came here. And we were only allowed outside for half an hour each day. He controlled our every movement. How much we talked, where we were, how much exercise we got. He wanted all of us to be perfect. Or at least….his version of perfect anyway.”

She swallows before continuing.

“We always had each other, but we were always so afraid of stepping one foot out of place, that we barely spoke, or did anything normal friends do. If we did anything wrong, we’d have to spend the night in solitary. We’d have to sleep in this room with no light, and they used this heavy steel door to keep us in. I don’t think any of us could have moved it even if it were unlocked.”

“Did you ever….?” I trail off, unable to think of El being in such a situation.

She nods. “Only a few times. Some kids spent weeks in a row there. I don’t know how they did it. Nothing was worth spending more time there, not to me.”

“But, how did no one find out?” I say. “I’m sure if Hopper knew, he would have had the place shut down.”

El shakes her head. “Dr. Brenner had a good way of keeping things hidden, and an even better way of talking people out of looking around for too long. And I never told Hopper about all of it. I haven’t told anyone before today.”

I nod. She doesn’t have to say it for me to understand. She’d rather leave it all in the past. She doesn’t want anyone to know about it because she doesn’t want any of it to exist anymore. To plague her memory as it has for so many years. I watch her as a small tear threatens to spill out of the corner of her left eye, and I wish I could take all of her pain away. I cup her face with both of my hands and brush the tear away with my thumb.

“You’ll get out of here someday,” I mutter. “We’ll find somewhere as far away from here as we can possibly get. And you can leave all of it behind. For good.”

El’s eyes flicker up to meet mine. “You just said it yourself. Leaving everything behind isn’t realistic.”

“Well, maybe I was wrong.”

She smirks. “Mike Wheeler? Wrong? I never thought I’d hear that.”

I sigh. “I don’t know anymore. Sometimes it seems like the only option, and then I remember everything good that I’d be leaving behind.”

She nods. “I know. Someday though.”

She walks to her bed and sits down in front of it, resting her back on the mattress. I could hear the hope leave her voice when she said that word. Someday. It’s a word that I use too often. I usually use it to give myself hope. Someday, I’ll be able to move away from here. Someday, everyone will stop fighting. But just now, when El said it, it seemed the opposite of hopeful. Suddenly “someday” became a far and distant thing, instead of a beacon of hope. 

_What have I done? _I think to myself. Just a few nights ago, El was talking about how she wanted to travel the world like she was sure it would happen for her. She was content to wait here for that day, as long as she could dream it would come. She encouraged me to do what I wanted to do, to get out and pursue a crazy dream, no matter how many excuses I had.__

__Now that I’ve met her, brought her into this world that she had at least a chance of not becoming so involved in, she’s lost all of that. Now she’s like the rest of us. She’s lost hope._ _

__I move to sit beside her. “I’m sorry,” I say._ _

__El looks up at me, confused. “For what?”_ _

__I let out a weak laugh. “For a lot of things.”_ _

__“None of this is your fault,” El says. She places her hand on mine, and brushes her thumb over my knuckles softly. “I just don’t want you to go.”_ _

__“I can’t leave the rest of them,” I say. But even as I do I think of how much more painful it will be to leave her when the time comes. Our time is racing to a close as we speak._ _

__“I know,” El says. “I understand.”_ _

__She lets her head rest on my shoulder, and I put my arm around her to draw her closer._ _

__“Oh,” she says suddenly. “I never gave you your sweatshirt back from last night.”_ _

__“My sweatshirt?” Suddenly it comes back to me. “Oh yeah.”_ _

__El giggles._ _

__“You can keep it,” I say._ _

__“Really?” she snickers. “You won’t need it?”_ _

__“Nah,” I say, waving my hand dismissively. “I have other jackets. Plus, you obviously seem to suffer from a lack of sweatshirts.”_ _

__Her snickers turn into laughter. A wide smile spreads across her face and her eyes are free of the pain I saw in them moments ago. I love seeing her this way._ _

__Her laughter settles and she tilts her head upwards against my shoulder to look at me. “How much time do we have left?”_ _

__I check my watch. “An hour.”_ _

__She sighs and closes her eyes. “What if you were just a little bit late?”_ _

“Then Billy _and _Steve would be after me,” I say practically.__

____She lets out a shaky breath, but keeps her eyes shut tight. “I hate it when you leave. Every time. Even if I know you’ll come back.”_ _ _ _

____“I’ll still come back this time,” I say._ _ _ _

____She finally opens her eyes slightly. Her eyes are wide, and pleading when she looks at me. “Promise?”_ _ _ _

____I smile slightly, sadly. “I promise.”_ _ _ _

____***_ _ _ _

____We move to lie on the bed after a while. El curls herself towards me, her head resting on my arm. Her eyes droop as she begins to doze off. I can only imagine how exhausted she is, thinking about what might happen tonight all day. I’ve tried to keep my mind off of it, but the fear creeps in every once in a while. A pang in my chest, like the type you get before presenting something in class, but ten times worse. But I repress it, push it to the back of my mind. If I think too much about it, I’ll only get myself hurt. And I couldn’t do that to El._ _ _ _

____El and I don’t speak for the rest of our hour. But we don’t have to. Something about just being close to each other, holding onto each other, is all we need. El falls asleep quickly, her breathing deep and steady. She hides her face against my side. I just lie still, and take in every perfect second of her._ _ _ _

____I wish there was a word to describe it. What looking at her, taking to her, being with her makes me feel. No amount of words can describe it. It’s like being home. But a home I’ve never felt before. Some sort of paradise that feels brand new and yet wonderfully familiar._ _ _ _

____I feel time pass all too quickly, and the next time I look at my watch, I only have a few minutes to get to the junkyard._ _ _ _

____“El,” I say softly, shifting away from her. She raises herself up, her eyes opening slowly._ _ _ _

____“Time to go?” she asks sleepily._ _ _ _

____I nod. Her eyes search my face for a moment, then she nods and lets me help her up from the bed, and leads me to the front door. She grips my hands as she opens it._ _ _ _

____“Please be careful,” she says._ _ _ _

____“I will,” I say. She bites her cheek and reluctantly lets go of my hand. I walk down the steps, feeling my heart getting heavier and heavier as I go. Something feels incomplete. I guess it does every time I leave her. But tonight feels different. It feels like it matters a hundred times more. Like if I don’t speak now, tell her exactly how much I feel for her, how much I’ll miss her, I’ll never get another chance to._ _ _ _

____I spin around. “El, I….” I trail off. I still can’t find the words._ _ _ _

____She nods anyway, somehow understanding everything I want to say, everything I can't say, in that moment._ _ _ _

____“I know," she says. "I do too.”_ _ _ _

____I smile as much of a smile as I can muster. I don’t know if it’s a good thing or not, that we said what we said. It feels amazing, more amazing than I could ever describe. But, deep down inside of myself, I feel frightened. Like we’ve opened a dangerous door. And now we can never go back._ _ _ _


	13. The Rumble

Mike's POV

It takes me longer to get to the junkyard than I thought it would. It’s only a few blocks away, but there are no street lights around, and the moon isn’t lighting up the sky like it did when El and I rode to the edge of town last night. After a few minutes of peddling in the darkness, I begin to hear chatter coming from the direction I’m headed.

_Shit _, I think to myself. I must be late. I peddle faster, and skid to a stop on the edge of the clearing. The wheels of my bike dig into the ground and throw up pebbles of dirt and chunks of grass which spatter against the metal shell of a rusty bus.__

I let my bike drop to the ground and peek around the bus and into the clearing. There are two groups of kids, one on each end of the clearing. The snakes are on the side closest to me. I’ve never noticed just how many of us there are. Altogether, Snakes _and _Blades included, there must be about half the kids at our local high school.__

____Steve and Billy stand at the head of each group, staring each other down across the distance. I spot Lucas and Dustin closer to the back of the crowd. Steve must’ve told them to stay back here. Lucas stands up straight, peering over the heads of the other Snakes to see what’s going on at the front. Dustin stands beside him, shifting his weight anxiously from foot to foot. Everyone seems to be focused on Steve and Billy, so I take the opportunity to move forward and join the crowd._ _ _ _

____“Dustin,” I whisper from just behind him._ _ _ _

____Dustin jumps and spins around to look at me. “Where the hell were you?” he hisses under his breath._ _ _ _

____“It doesn’t matter. I’m here now, aren’t I?”_ _ _ _

____Dustin shrugs. “Yeah, I guess. But we were really worried. Steve thought you bailed on us.”_ _ _ _

____“Are you kidding?” I ask, putting a reassuring hand on Dustin’s shoulder. “I would never do that.”_ _ _ _

____“Shh,” Lucas whispered from beside us. He points in front of him, and we look forward to see Steve and Billy approaching each other._ _ _ _

____The air suddenly feels tense, as if charged with electricity that will be set off into a fit of sparks at any slight movement. Everyone stands still, straining our ears as our leaders meet each other once again._ _ _ _

I feel myself take a step forward, like it’s some sort of reflex. One of the leaders of the gangs usually throws the first punch. But I saw what happened in the alleyway that day. There’s no way Steve will be able to take Billy on his own once the rumble starts.

“Mike,” Dustin whispers fiercely at me. I only gesture for him to follow. When I glance behind me, Lucas is already right on my tail. He gives me a reassuring nod. After a moment, Dustin follows suit, and we move to the front of the crowd.

“You know the rules.” Steve’s voice echoes across the clearing. “No weapons-”

“Yeah, yeah,” Billy says. “No killing anyone.” He throws his arms outward, in a welcoming gesture. “You can trust us. But I don’t know if I can say the same about any one of your kind.”

“Look, I’m not here to pass insults back and forth all night,” Steve says.

Billy raises an eyebrow. “Fine. You asked for it, Harrington.”

Billy raises his arm, his hand balled into a fist so strong, I can see the veins popping out along his knuckles. 

“Steve!” Dustin shouts. He runs forward, pushing Lucas and I to the side before we can even react. Steve grabs Billy’s fist before it can reach him, and he twists it sharply to the side. Billy stumbles backwards as the crowd surges forward on both sides. Lucas and I are pushed forward, while Dustin, Steve and Billy are swallowed by the crowd. 

Everything becomes a blur of movement. Shouts ring out from all sides of the junk yard. I can barely tell who is a Snake and who is a Blade. Lucas stays by my side as separate fights break out all at once. I try to stay as still as possible in order to see through the crowd to where Steve and Dustin are. 

“Mike!” I hear Lucas shout. I look to my side all too slowly, as what feels like a rock crashes against the side of my head. My eyesight blurs, and I stumble back, but Lucas steadies me before I can fall. 

A boy about my height, with pixie-like features snickers in front of us. I blink repeatedly to try to get my vision to go back to normal, but Lucas has already charged forward. 

He attacks him with an uppercut to the stomach. The boy doubles forward, and Lucas uses his weakness to knee him in the chest, letting out a shout of anguish. 

The boy falls to his side, and Lucas backs away from him, his breath coming in short puffs of air.

He turns back to me. “Are you ok?”

I nod slowly. “Yeah. Yeah, are you?” 

He nods. We turn back to the crowd and continue to push through to the center of the storm. Most of the others are fighting their own battles, so we make it through a good portion of the crowd unscathed. I see Snakes and Blades alike being punched and kicked until blood sprays from their faces and mouths. Some people already have black eyes, or are curled up on the ground in pain. 

I slow down when I see Jonathan trying to fend off one of the Snakes with only one hand, the other being held against his stomach. Judging from the angle that his arm sits, it’s definitely broken. I turn my head the other way to find Robin fending off a pair of Blades. She seems to be holding up pretty well, but she’s no match for both of them, and as I watch her defense grow weaker, I realize their strategy is to tire her out until their real attack begins.

Lucas pushes me forward. “Come on, Mike. We have to keep going.”

I nod, and blindly follow Lucas through the crowd as he takes the lead. The mob thickens as we get closer to the center. I search frantically for Steve and Dustin. My eyes instead land on Peter, who appears, seemingly out of nowhere, from the crowd. And he’s looking directly at us. 

“Lucas,” I say, putting a hand on his arm to stop him from continuing forward. His eyes follow mine. 

“Shit,” he whispers under his breath. “I can take him. Cover me.”

“No!” I shout over the sounds of the fight. “We can’t take him! We have to get out of here! We have to make it to Dustin and Steve.”

“And how are we going to get to them, Mike?” Lucas yells, gesturing around us.

I turn around to realize the horrible truth of our situation. In the short time since we’d stopped moving, we’ve been surrounded. About five more Blades are slowly closing in on us from a distance, having already finished their other battles. 

I sigh. “Fine. But we both take him. Keep him distracted until he gets tired.”

Lucas nods. “Good idea.”

I take a deep breath and follow Lucas as he jogs confidently towards Peter. He swings his fist towards him, aiming for Peter’s throat. Peter dodges, and throws a punch to Lucas’s cheek. Lucas’s head whips to the side as Peter’s fist strikes him. He shakes out his fist and smiles in triumph. I take my opportunity and hurl a punch at his abdomen. He jolts backward, and when he looks up again, his eyes are narrowed, and his face is screwed up in anger. My stomach lurches when I look in his eyes. Inside of them is an anger more intense than any I’ve ever seen before. Not even in Billy.

“You little _shit _,” he wheezes, gripping his side. I stand in shock as he begins to lumber towards me, like a predator getting ready to pounce on its prey. Suddenly, an ice cold fear encases all of my bones and muscles. My feet are planted firmly into the ground, keeping me from running, or fighting, or doing anything.__

__Everything we learned about fighting and defending ourselves doesn’t exist anymore in my mind. Nothing but terror and dread fills my brain._ _

__I barely even see what comes next. All I can make out is a sudden blur of fast movement. I hear muffled shouts and screams. But I feel nothing. No attack comes._ _

__I feel my heart start to beat normally again, and my muscles break free from their frozen state one by one. I turn my head to find Steve and Peter locked into an intense struggle against one another. Lucas stands to the side, his hand on his cheek. He looks up at me with bright eyes and smiles. We found Steve. But we’re not out of the woods yet._ _

__We still don’t know where Dustin is. And even worse, we don’t know where Billy might be hiding._ _

__I turn back to Steve and Peter. It seems like a pretty even fight. Neither of them have taken a hit yet. I turn around. The boys who were after us before are closer now, probably only waiting for their opening._ _

__“What do we do?” I ask Lucas._ _

__Lucas's eyes are hesitant, but determined. He gets his message across. I nod, even as my heart starts to thump at a fast and uneven pace, and we turn to face the crowd._ _

__I don’t know what overcomes me. So far, I’ve felt like a baby taking his first steps. Stumbling haphazardly through the mob and hoping not to get caught in the crossfire. Now, as Lucas and I face down the group of Blades before us, I feel some sense of unbearable urgency flow through me. I feel how I was supposed to feel all along. Angry. But I’m not angry at the Blades. Their faces are meaningless to me. Instead I feel everything I’ve been holding back. I remember every time I’ve had to look over my shoulder while walking down a certain street, or even the hallways at school. I think of Holly, asking about what happened that night I came home with a bruise on my face. I remember how afraid I always am to be with El. To talk to her. To kiss her._ _

__The first one is easy. He must be a few years younger than Lucas and I. My punch lands on his nose, hard. He falls to his knees and we pass him. The second comes after me. He screams and throws a punch at me, but I block it quickly, twisting his arm just like Steve taught us. Lucas trips him when he stumbles back, and punches him in the chest as he goes down. I begin to see other Snakes out of the corner of my eye as they work up the courage to rejoin the battle at full force. I watch as kids knee others in the stomach, or tackle some to the ground. After a while it seems like we could win this. Lucas turns to me with a victorious smile on his face._ _

__I begin to smile back, but my heart jumps in my chest as I see who’s over his shoulder. I open my mouth to warn him, but I’m too late. I watch in horror as Billy’s fist cracks against Lucas’s skull. Lucas drops to the ground fast._ _

__“Lucas!” I scream. But I’m cut off when another Blade steps in front of me. He dives for my abdomen and tackles me to the ground. I cry out as my tailbone crashes against a rock in the grass. My back goes limp for only a moment, but it’s all he needs. I feel something snap as his fist collides with my nose. My eyes immediately fill with water, blinding me. I can barely see as the Blade strikes my jaw, my cheek, my eye. I try to punch back, but he has my arms pinned under his knees._ _

__Suddenly I hear a high pitched scream coming from behind me._ _

__“Get off of him you piece of shit!” the voice yells. I hear another scream, and the Blade rolls off of me and onto the ground, curling up in pain. I blink the water out of my eyes. One of them stings, and when I reach up to touch it, it feels bruised._ _

__“Mike! Are you ok?” I hear the voice call. I look up to find Dustin standing over me, reaching out a hand to help me up._ _

__“Yeah. Thanks,” I say._ _

__“I kicked him right in the stomach!” Dustin laughs, patting me on the back. “That felt awesome.”_ _

__I barely hear him. “Lucas,” I say, pushing past Dustin. Lucas and Billy are only a few feet away. Lucas seems to have regained his footing, but it still seems like a one-sided fight. Lucas looks delirious and exhausted. He tries to block Billy’s relentless attacks, but he’s too weak._ _

Dustin and I rush forward with no plan. A part of me knows it’s ridiculous. I can barely see out of my left eye, my head is pounding, my nose is almost definitely broken. Not even Steve could take on Billy judging from that fight in the alleyway. But my heart is still pumping with adrenaline and anger. I came here to help my friends, so that’s what I’m going to do.

I come at Billy from the side, but he’s ready for me. He throws me off of him with all of his weight. I stagger backwards, and watch as Dustin runs headlong towards Billy as well. Billy elbows him in the stomach and Dustin falls to the ground. Billy then turns his attention to Lucas. He's already locked in on his target, just like he did with Steve only a few days ago. Still struggling to keep up, Lucas throws a loose punch forward. Billy grips Lucas’s arm and twists is sharply to the side. Lucas falls to his knees. Billy bludgeons him in his nose and Lucas’s head whips back. Billy punches him again, and again, three times, in the same place. Blood runs out of Lucas’s nose. He looks to me for help, and I can see that his consciousness is fading. 

I look to Billy, and I see in his eyes what I saw that day in the alleyway. Unbridled anger. The yearning to hurt, to harm, to make someone bleed. It doesn’t matter who they are, or what they look like. As long as they’re a Snake, they deserve to be in pain.

“Stop!” I cry. I know it’s useless. Just as useless as that day I tried to stop him from attacking Steve in the alleyway. But it's the only plan I have. Billy’s too strong. There’s no way I could beat him with just my bare fists. 

I look around frantically. Steve is still fighting with Peter. Dustin is still on the ground, his hand on his stomach. He looks just as hopeless as I feel.

Lucas’s eyes flutter, struggling to stay open. Blood runs out of his nose and a large cut on his cheek. Eventually, Lucas gives up on trying to fight back, too exhausted to keep up with Billy and his arms lay limp at his sides.

“Stop! You’ll kill him!” I yell again. Billy doesn’t listen. He doesn’t care.

I feel the anger inside of me begin to swell again. It courses through my blood and makes my hands curl into fists so tight I can feel the blood spill out as my fingernails cut into my palms. Lucas did nothing to deserve this. None of us did anything to deserve this. 

I feel my brain become separate from my body in an instant. My body moves forward, and my eyes scan the ground for something, anything that will put an end to this, something that will just weaken Billy for a moment so we can get Lucas away from him. A short metal pipe sticks out from between scraps of metal from old cars. I feel my arms reach forward and my fingers curl around the pipe. My palms sting against the cold and rusted metal. My feet carry me back to Billy. 

I watch in a mixture of horror and determination as my arms come crashing down with too much force. The pipe ricochets off of Billy’s head. I hear a scream. He drops to his side. Stays still. 

I let the pipe fall from my hand as I feel my anger wash away. I’m only left with the horror of what I’ve done. I hear a faint wailing in the distance, but I don’t think much of it. 

Steve appears beside Billy. He kneels down next to him. 

“Jesus, Mike,” I hear him say. He puts his ear closer to Billy’s chest. “Shit, he’s not breathing.”

The wailing gets louder.

Dustin rushes to kneel beside Steve. Steve turns to him and says in a shaky voice, “He landed on a rock. Jesus, there’s so much blood on the ground.”

“Holy shit,” Dustin whispers.

The wailing gets louder still. By now it’s clear enough that I can tell it’s sirens.

Dustin looks up. “Steve, we have to get out. The cops-”

“Yeah, I realize that Dustin. Help me get Lucas. I’ll take him to the car.”

Steve and Dustin move out of my line of vision. I hear a groan as they pick Lucas up. 

“Mike,” I hear Dustin say. “Mike, come on. We have to go.”

I stand still. I look down at the ground. At Billy.

“Come on man, listen to me. Mike, we have to get out of here!” Dustin grips my face in his hands, turning my head to face him. “Mike, do you know what’ll happen if they see us here with Billy? We have to go!”

I blink and let him drag me away. As we leave I realize how empty the junkyard is. Everyone must have fled when the sirens started. I hadn’t even noticed.

“I was just….trying to get him off of Lucas,” I mutter. Dustin helps me into Steve’s car, and we speed away. Blue and red lights flicker across the junkyard as it fades from view.


	14. The Rumble-Part 2

El's POV

I pace back and forth in the living room until my feet go numb. Then I go out on the porch and pace more. It’s been hours since Mike left. Rumbles don’t last for hours, right? Maybe he got lost on the way here. Or maybe the Snakes won and his friends have forced him to stay around to celebrate.

I heard sirens a few hours ago. Coming from the distance. In that moment, the world felt smaller. I felt my stomach shrink. It must’ve been something to do with the rumble. What else could it have been? Nothing else ever happens here unless it has to do with the gangs.

What if something happened to Mike? What if he got arrested, or….or what if he got hurt? My stomach swirls with a sudden awful sick feeling. I’ve been sitting by the radio ever since the sirens started. Maybe I missed a message he had sent over the radio. Maybe all of this is nothing. Maybe there’s a perfect explanation for all of this. But I can’t shake this horrible, gut feeling that…

I hear the door swing open behind me. I startle and stand up straight as Hopper enters the cabin. I hadn’t even heard his car pull up. A part of me wants to tell him every thought on my mind. It feels like it’s been weighing on me for so long, and I need to get it out in the open. But I know I shouldn’t. Right now I need answers.

Hopper's eyes look wide and bloodshot. His hair sticks up in odd directions as he takes off his hat. He looks stressed.

“What’s going on?” I ask. “I heard sirens.”

Hopper grips his hat in his hands. “We can talk about it in the morning. I just came to check on you.”

“But-”

“El, I really can’t tell you everything right now,” Hopper says, letting out a frustrated breath.

I feel the corners of my lips start to tremble. “Is it bad?”

Hopper gives me an odd look. “I promise I’ll tell you in the morning, alright? For now, just try to settle down and get some sleep.”

“Please tell me,” I say. My voice sounds strangled. “Please, I….I have to know.”

Hopper’s eyes narrow for a moment. He stands completely still, as if contemplating something, as if he’s choosing which words to use next.

“There was a fight,” he starts. “Some kid….he got killed.”

“What?” I say. The words barely process in my brain. All of my senses seem to soften for a moment. My vision becomes blurry and my hearing becomes muffled. As if my body is trying to block everything out.

“Yeah,” Hopper says. “Some kid, he looked like he was about nineteen or twenty. We’re not really sure what happened. He must’ve gotten hit and fallen down or something….” he trails off, his gaze far away. When he looks back at me, his eyes harden again. He draws in a shaky breath and swallows before he speaks again.

"Stay inside. I don't even want you out on the porch, do you understand?"

I don't respond, but he doesn't seem to notice anyway.

"Try to get some sleep, alright? We'll....have this all figured out in the morning."

Again, I say nothing, do nothing. Hopper's grip tightens on his hat before he places it back on his head and turns back to the door. 

"I should get back-"

“Why do you choose to live here?” I ask suddenly. My voice sounds frail, and shaky. “I mean, why don’t you just move? Why do you stay?”

Hopper turns his gaze back to me. He opens his mouth as if about to answer, but shuts it again before taking a pause and finally saying, “I have to get back to the station.”

When he leaves I feel my body start to shake. I squeeze my eyes shut and let out sobs that rack my body. I fall back onto the couch. My chest and stomach ache intensely. I know, judging from Hopper’s description, that it probably wasn’t Mike who was killed. But that harrowing, grim feeling of apprehension won’t go away. Someone died tonight. Someone was killed. And Mike still hasn’t made it back.


	15. Somewhere

Mike's POV

“I could have taken him,” Lucas slurs as Steve holds a rag to his nose to soak up the blood.

“At least he’s talking,” Dustin sighs. He’s been pacing around the room ever since him and Steve have carried Lucas into Steve’s house and laid him on the couch. 

“Does that hurt?” Steve asks Lucas.

“What do you think?” Lucas groans. He lets his head fall backwards onto the cushions.

“Be careful,” Steve says. “You could have a concussion.”

“Of course he has a concussion,” Dustin says. “Jesus, he nearly died, Steve! Why aren’t we taking him to the hospital?”

“We can’t go to the hospital right now!” Steve bursts. “Don’t you realize that? There are people out there looking for us right now. What do you think’s gonna happen when we show up at the hospital all beat up?”

My stomach swirls. I haven’t moved since we got inside. Every time I try to do something, all I can see is Billy lying on the ground. And the blood….

“I….understand that. But look at him!” Dustin says. 

“I said I’m fine,” Lucas mumbles. “I can’t even feel anything.”

“Yeah, that’s probably because your body is shutting down,” Dustin says. “Because you could have died!”

“I was fine. He couldn’t have killed me,” Lucas says. His eyes flutter closed.

“Doesn’t he have to stay awake if he has a concussion?” Dustin asks Steve.

Steve looks down at Lucas, then back at Dustin. “I don’t know. Is that a thing?”

“I’m asking _you _if it’s a thing!” Dustin shouts irritably.__

__“I don’t know!” Steve yells back. “I’m not a freaking doctor!”_ _

__My head pounds, louder than it had before._ _

__Dustin sighs. “Lucas, try and stay awake. It could be dangerous if you go to sleep with a concussion.”_ _

__“Maybe,” Steve adds._ _

__“I don’t have a concussion,” Lucas says, his eyes still closed._ _

“You definitely do,” Dustin says. “Jesus, Steve, do you see what I mean? We need help. You didn’t exactly see how bad it got. Billy just….well, you know how he gets. He kept hitting him….I mean, Lucas was already tired, and Billy can just get so intense…..There’s only so many times you can get hit in the head before something really bad happens. I mean, if Mike hadn’t-”

The nausea becomes unbearable when he says my name. I lurch forward before forcing myself to run to Steve’s bathroom. I barely make it to the toilet before I puke. I haven’t eaten anything today, so after a while, I’m simply dry heaving over the bowl, my stomach convulsing over and over, trying to purge itself of what I’ve done.

When it finally stops, my breath comes in shaky pants. I flush the toilet and stand up on unsteady legs. My thoughts run clearer now, but they’re still jumbled. Because of this, and because of my state of mind when it actually happened, the memory of what took place tonight is already blurry to me. The memory of Billy’s body is still sharp and clear, like a brand new film reel. But the rest of it is smudged. Parts are missing. 

Somehow that makes it worse. I’ve tried to excuse what happened on the fact that I was trying to protect Lucas. But for all I know, what Lucas has been saying could be right. Maybe he wasn’t in so much danger. Maybe he would have been able to get out of it. Maybe Billy would have stopped. Maybe it was simply my fear and anger that got the best of me. But that couldn’t have been, right? I saw the look on Billy’s face. I can remember that if nothing else. But maybe I didn’t. I was standing behind him wasn’t I? Or was I standing to the side? Yes. I was standing to the side. Then I moved to stand behind him when I…..

I clutch my stomach as it spins again. I need fresh air. I need to breathe. I need to stop thinking so much. 

The bathroom is on the other end of the hallway than the living room is, and the front door is right next to it, so I am able to get outside without any of the others knowing. Once I’m outside, I don’t stop walking. A cool breeze chills the air. It stings my lungs as I take gulps of it, and it nips at the cuts on my face. The sharp new feeling offers some refuge and distraction from my thoughts. 

I keep going. I walk past Steve’s font yard and out onto the street. I watch as clouds gather overhead and think fleetingly that it might start raining. I walk until my ankles get tired. I pass Lucas’s house. My house. I keep going. Street lights flicker on as I pass them, and I can see people shutting curtains and turning on lights in living rooms and kitchens. I can see some families sitting on their couches together, watching TV as they settle in for a few hours before turning in, and falling peacefully asleep. They’ll have no idea what happened tonight. By the time they open their eyes, it’ll be over. And morning will come.

I start to jog. Then I break into a run. I sprint through empty streets, with only the light of street lamps and the sound of my feet thundering against the pavement to guide me. My footsteps echo in my ears, somehow urging me to keep going. My lungs burn like hell, and the bottoms of my feet feel like they’ve been dipped in molten lava. But I keep going. Houses turn into storefronts, which turn into trees. I see the edge of town in the distance. A small speck of red that I already know is the sign that reads “Leaving Hawkins.” I feel a smile creep across my face. My chest suddenly feels lighter. Trees whiz by my line of vision, coming thicker and thicker. I glance at them out of the corner of my eye, only now realizing exactly how fast I’m going. Everything has become a blur around me. My momentum propels me further forward, towards the edge of town, towards freedom. No looking back. 

And then one single thought bursts into the forefront of my mind. A thought that makes me stop instantaneously, my feet planted firmly on the ground below me, my arms swinging limply at my sides. _El _. I turn my head. I've stopped right in front of the pathway to her house, without even knowing.__

I can suddenly feel my breath. I’m panting so hard the air feels like it’s ripping out of my chest. The muscles in my legs feel weak again. Every cut and bruise I’d acquired during the rumble send small rivers of pain flowing through my nerves. 

I can’t leave her here. No matter how much I want to keep sprinting away from town, and everything that has happened here, to find a place where I could finally be at peace, none of it would be worth it without her. 

The souls of my shoes grind against the asphalt as my feet turn towards the woods, and I start down the pathway to the cabin. I see soft yellow light bleeding through the windows. They’re all wide open. 

Hopper’s car is nowhere to be found. I feel my heart stop for a moment as the reality of the situation sets in. Of course Hopper wouldn’t be home. He’s out hunting for the person who killed Billy. He’s out hunting for me.

I take a deep breath and keep going, walking up the familiar steps to El’s front porch. I faintly realize that she’s never been to my house. She’s never even seen it from the outside. She’ll never be able to meet my family either. Not Holly, not Nancy….

I shake my head and knock on the front door. There are more important things to think about. Like what I’m going to have to tell El. God, what am I doing? I shouldn’t be bringing her into all of this. The police will be able to find how who….killed Billy eventually. Then I’ll be a wanted criminal, and, by bringing her with me, I’ll be getting her into trouble as well. Not to mention I’ll be taking her away from everyone she knows here. It may be too late for me, but she still has people, a family, here. She still has reasons to stay.

The door opens before I can think any more. El peers up at me from inside. Her brown eyes are rimmed with red, and her usual halo of curls is frizzy, as if she’s been running her fingers through her hair for hours.

Her mouth parts slightly, and her eyes change to an expression of disbelief when she realizes that it’s me. She stays still for a moment, not saying anything. I open my mouth, not knowing here to begin, but before I can get a word out, El’s arms are around me. She stands on the tips of her toes and grips onto my shoulders, her face buried against my chest. I slowly wrap my arms around her waist and rest my chin on the top of her head. I let out a breath. Having her in my arms almost makes the reality of my world seem to soften, and, for the moment, that’s all I need. 

“I thought something horrible had happened to you,” she says, her voice breaking. “Hopper told me that someone….someone was _killed _.”__

I nod. Everything comes back into focus, and I feel my stomach begin to churn again. “Yeah. I know,” I say emotionlessly.

El pulls away from me. “You’re shaking,” she says. Her eyes widen suddenly, and she brings her hand up to brush her finger against my forehead.

I flinch away as a sharp pain spreads through my face once again. 

“Sorry,” El says quickly. “You should really clean that. Here, come inside.”

I follow her through the door, and to the kitchen sink. El wets a paper towel with warm water and places it on the cut on my forehead. 

“Ow,” I mutter softly.

“I’m sorry,” she says again. She chuckles half heartedly before admitting, “To be honest, I don’t really know what I’m doing, but this seems right, so….,” her slight smile fades from her face. “What’s wrong?”

I look down. My hands have been gripping onto the edge of the countertop, and my whole body hasn’t stopped shaking since I got here. I’m also suddenly aware of the fact that I still haven’t stopped panting.

“I’m….,” I start. I know that I have to tell her what happened. Even though I know she probably won’t want to speak to me again after hearing what I did. She deserves to know. But for some reason I can’t find the words to even begin to explain. I barely understand what happened myself. How do I explain it to someone as important to me as El?

“You can talk to me,” El says, searching my eyes, and forcing me to look at hers. “Whatever it is.”

“It all happened so fast,” I start. After that, I can’t stop the words from coming. It’s as if I’ve opened some sort of flood gate. The thoughts that have been battling each other in my head for hours now spill out of my lips, as if speaking them will provide some sort of relief.

“Billy, he had Lucas on the ground. Lucas isn’t nearly as strong as Billy. He wouldn’t have stood a chance. And Billy just wouldn’t stop. It was almost like he turned into someone else. Or something else. He was going to kill Lucas. Or at least, I thought he was. And no one could do anything. No one _was _doing anything. I was just so scared, I….I didn’t know what else to do.”__

__I pause for a moment. El looks confused, but I can see the truth slowly start to dawn on her._ _

“I didn’t mean to hit Billy so hard. He landed on a rock or something. That’s what Steve and Dustin said anyway. I-I don’t know what happened in my head, I was just so angry and scared. I just wanted to get him away from Lucas. I had to help him, and that was the only way that I thought I could.”

I stop, my breath somehow coming harder than before. I search El’s face. Her eyes are wide, but the rest of her face has gone blank. Her arm slowly drops from where it rests against my face. She still grips the paper towel in her hand, and water drips and runs down between her fingers. She takes a step away from me. 

“El,” I say. But once again, I’m at a loss for words. 

She moves to sit down on the couch. Her elbows rest on her knees, her hands hanging limply between them. The paper towel still drips water, now pink colored. I guess I was bleeding. I watch the drops fall onto the floor and shatter into smaller ones.

“I never wanted any of this,” I say, almost unaware that I’m speaking out loud. “The more I think about it, the more I realize none of us know why we’re doing this. Fighting. Everyone just….hates each other. And now I’m the worst of them. I shouldn’t have stayed with them this long.”

“You killed him,” El says in a trembling whisper. “You killed Billy.”

I don’t respond. I just stare at my hands as they let go of the kitchen counter. Blood rushes back into my fingers. We sit for what feels like hours. El moves so her knees touch her chest. She wraps her arms around them and rests her forehead on top of them, so I can no longer see her face.

Water drips out of the paper towel until there’s nothing left. I just keep staring at it, hoping for El to answer, to tell me what she’s thinking.

But nothing ever comes. I know that I’ve failed her. Even more than I’ve failed myself, and my friends.

“I’m sorry El,” I say. “For everything. I never should have brought you into all of this. You deserve to be far away from here. You should be happy. If you want to turn me in to Hopper, that’s ok.”

She still doesn’t say anything. I walk to the door. I turn the handle.

“Mike,” I hear behind me. I turn around. El is standing in front of the couch. Her cheeks look wet, like she just wiped away tears. But now she looks determined. “Stay,” she says.

I feel my eyebrows raise, my eyes widen in surprise. How could she still want me to stay after what I told her? She nods at me, and smiles. 

“Do you remember what you told me on the porch that night?” she asks. “The night we met? About how you believe that some souls are meant to find each other?”  
I nod.

“And I said ‘not here’,” she continues. “And you said-”

“Somewhere,” I finish for her.

She nods. “There must be a place for us. But it’s not here. We could find somewhere better. We have to go, and now. Or it’ll kill us both.”

“But, El,” I protest. “We’ll have to be on the run for the rest of our lives. It’s only a matter of time before the police find out that I’m guilty-”

“I don’t care about that,” El says. “I don’t care if things didn’t work out how we hoped. Don’t say that you regret bringing me into your life. If you’re leaving, I am too.”

I look at her for a long time. Every time we’ve talked about running away, there have been a million things keeping me from saying yes. But now, now suddenly there’s nothing. I don’t care whether I get caught or not. It’s not a matter of running away from what I’ve done. It’s her. She is my reason for saying yes. Right now, nothing else seems to matter.

I nod. “Meet me by the field past the junkyard. The one where we watched the movie last night. There's a bus stop nearby.”

_Last night. How could it have only been last night? ___

__“What time?” she asks._ _

__I think for a moment. It shouldn't take long to get the money I need to pay for a bus ride. “Meet me at midnight,” I say._ _


	16. A Boy Like That

El's POV

I sit at the dining room table, peering out into near pitch darkness. I packed a bag of necessities after Mike left, absentmindedly throwing a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a few extra pairs of clothes into a plastic bag. After that, I put on the sweatshirt Mike gave me and sat down to wait.

I can still feel that same sick feeling I’d had before Mike had returned from the rumble. A picture keeps coming to the forefront of my mind. Of Mike, standing over Billy, helpless and horrified of what he'd done. If Mike had just stayed here, none of this would have ever happened. When I looked in his eyes, I knew that. Mike is not a killer. He may not be innocent, but what I saw when I looked at him were the eyes of a boy who is frightened beyond his own control. And I can’t let him suffer anymore.

Yes, that pit that I’ve felt in my stomach, the one that has been growing for the past few days, hasn’t gone away. But now, I feel a sliver of hope in me as well. I’m going to give Mike the chance to start over. I’m going to give us both a chance to be truly happy. I only wish I could talk to Will or Max, one more time. I know it will be useless to try and get them to agree to leave as well. Will’s too afraid to leave, and Max….I wonder if she’s heard about-

I hear a knock on the door. Hopper can’t be back already. Unless he came to check in on me again. How didn’t I notice his car pull up? I’ve left all of the windows open since he left, waiting for when Mike would get back from the rumble.

I wrap Mike’s sweatshirt more tightly around myself and cross my arms before walking to the door and peering out. It's almost pitch dark outside, and the air feels strange, almost as if it's charged with electricity. I can barely make out the small, shaking shape on the doorstep. But when I finally do, my heart drops.

“Max?” I breathe. Her face has reddened against the cold, and there are tears staining her freckled cheeks. But when she looks up at me, there is anger and frustration in her eyes. I know in an instant that she already knows about Billy. 

“Max, I...,” I start. But I don't know what to say. Why is she here? What if she asks if I know anything? How do I tell her what I know?

“Jonathan told me and Will about what happened,” Max interrupts. “That this kid named Mike…. _killed _him.”__

__My stomach lurches slightly when she says Mike's name._ _

__She pauses, swallowing and looking up slightly as if she’s trying to hold in tears. “I’ve seen him around school. And I saw him tonight.”_ _

__“I saw him leaving your house, El,” she says. She pushes her way past me and into the house. My shoulder bounces off the door frame and I spin around to look at her._ _

__I frown. “What do you mean?”_ _

__“What was he doing here?” She asks roughly._ _

__I shake my head, at a loss for words. There’s no way I can explain everything to her. There's no way I can make her understand._ _

__“So you’re just not going to say anything?” Max scoffs. “I can’t believe you.”_ _

__“You weren't there,” I say, shutting the door behind me. “You don’t understand what happened.”_ _

__"You weren't there either!" Max shouts suddenly, shaking her head in disbelief. "I knew you've acting strangely ever since that stupid dance. You stayed late after work, seemingly for no reason. You didn't talk to us at all on the day of the rumble. You didn't even think to return our calls, did you?"_ _

__I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. I hadn't even noticed that they had called. It must have been some time during the day, while I was waiting for Mike to visit before the rumble. I'd been so distracted by everything else, I must have not heard._ _

__"And now this," Max continues. "He killed my brother, El! And you let him into your home!"_ _

__“Max, please,” I say. “If you would just let me explain.”_ _

__“What? Is he like your boyfriend now?” Max taunts, her voice ragged._ _

__I say nothing once again. Max barely gives me a chance to speak before she continues anyway. She doesn't need any more proof._ _

__“God, you couldn’t just stick to your own kind, could you?”_ _

__“What is that supposed to mean?” I ask cooly._ _

“I mean you should have stayed away from him!” Max shouts. “You knew what was going to happen. He’s one of _them _. He could care less about you. All that any of them want is to keep us down! Have you ever even seen where he lives? He’s not like us, El. Him, and all of his friends have money, and come from good families. They’ve had everything handed to them on a silver platter since the moment they were born. His people join gangs just because beating someone up is something interesting to do on their weekends.”__

____“You don’t know anything about him!” I scream. I’ve known since I moved here that people who live on the Snakes’ side of town are better off financially than people who live near me. But that’s never been important to me, or to Mike. I could care less what house Mike lives in, or how much money his parents make._ _ _ _

“And you do? Do you know _anything _about him?” Max counters. “You’ve known him for three days!”__

______“That doesn’t matter-,” I start._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Why?” Max asks. “Oh, I know. Because you love him, don’t you? You think you know him so well because you think you’re in love. Well, I bet you didn’t know he could murder someone, did you? He could never love you if he could do something like that. He could never love anyone.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______I watch as something inside of Max breaks. Her eyes, once filled with anger, now turn into pools of deep despair. Her lips begin to tremble, and tears gather at the corner of her eyes. She sits down heavily onto the couch, as if she can’t bear to hold the weight of everything she is feeling._ _ _ _ _ _

______My chest feels like it has collapsed in on itself. I take a shaky breath before I move closer to her._ _ _ _ _ _

______“I’m sorry that you lost Billy,” I say waveringly. “You have no idea how sorry I am. And what Mike did was horrible. But I need to to understand that he didn't do it for no reason."_ _ _ _ _ _

______Max clenches her jaw and wipes her tears away. But she doesn't start to speak again. This time, she listens._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Mike only did what he did because Billy could have killed Lucas. He was just trying to protect him.” I finish._ _ _ _ _ _

______Max looks up at me sharply. I see a flash of worry in her eyes before she quickly covers it up with anger again. I knew that dance meant more to Max than she let on. A part of me suddenly feels a sting of sadness as I wonder how it would have been like if we weren’t so scared to tell each other how we felt that night._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Did Mike tell you that?” Max asks, looking away from me. I can tell she is still trying to hide what she’s really feeling._ _ _ _ _ _

______I nod. “Yes,” I say, moving to sit down beside her. “And I know you don’t trust him. I understand that. But….is it really that hard to believe?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“What do you mean?” Max says defensively._ _ _ _ _ _

______“I know how much Billy could….scare you sometimes,” I say. “I’ve known you for over a year, and every time you’ve talked about him….you act like you’re afraid of what he would do if he heard what you were saying.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Max's anger seems to fade away as she listens to me. Looks of confusion, and then realization cross her face. She is silent for a moment before she lets out a breath. “He would just be so angry all the time. If I even looked at him the wrong way, he would threaten me or my friends. When we moved here, it got worse. And for a while I couldn’t figure out why. But now…,” Max scoffs. “I kind of understand him.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______I nod. “I know that it sounds stupid, and naive. But Mike isn’t a killer, and neither is Billy. This town just has a way of making people think hating is the only option. And I don’t want to hate as much as everyone else does.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______I pause. Max doesn’t try to argue._ _ _ _ _ _

______“When I’m with Mike….I feel like it’s where I’m supposed to be,” I say. “It’s hard to explain. But I want to hold on to that feeling as much and for as long as I can. You can understand that, can’t you?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Max wipes her cheeks and looks at me. All of her frustration has faded away, and now I can clearly see the anxiousness she had been trying so hard to hide. “Did he tell you if Lucas was ok?” she asks softly._ _ _ _ _ _

______“It sounded like he was injured pretty badly, but I think he’ll be ok,” I say._ _ _ _ _ _

______She nods, and lets her head drop to rest in my lap. I wrap my arms around her and let her cry for as long as she needs. When she finally looks up at me and speaks again, her voice is strangely strong and sure._ _ _ _ _ _

______“You’re running away with him, aren’t you?” she asks._ _ _ _ _ _

______"How did you know?" I ask._ _ _ _ _ _

______"I saw the bag," she says, nodding toward the kitchen table, where it still sits. When I look at it, I am reminded once again of my hope._ _ _ _ _ _

______"So, you are?" Max asks, looking back at me._ _ _ _ _ _

______I nod. Max doesn’t say anything. She just wraps me into a tight hug. That’s all the approval I need._ _ _ _ _ _


	17. We're Halfway There

Mike's POV

I get to Mr. Clarke’s house way later than I thought I would. I'd forgotten that it takes longer to walk halfway across town than it does to ride a bike. I hadn’t even noticed that I’d left my bike back at the junkyard until I left El’s house. I guess it won’t matter after tonight. 

Mr. Clarke opens the door hesitantly when I ring his doorbell. I’m surprised he’s awake, or even willing to answer his door because of the sirens that have been sounding throughout the night. He looks at me in concern and confusion.

“Mike?” he asks. “What are you doing here?” 

He steps aside as I make my way in hastily. Mr. Clarke was the first person I could think of when I realized I needed more money to get out of here. I’m sure my parents have enough money that a missing hundred wouldn’t hurt them that bad, but I could get caught if I try to sneak into their room to steal it. Plus, I can’t do that to them anyway. The kind of turmoil I’ll be putting them through when they eventually find out what I’ve done is enough without them realizing that I’ve stolen from them on top of that.

I’ve saved up about fifty dollars myself, but I know that that’s not nearly enough. I started saving the money knowing that I’d be able to use it to get out of here one day. I guess I just thought I’d have more time.

“Mike, what's wrong?” I hear Mr. Clarke ask. I suddenly realize I haven’t spoken for a long time. I take a deep breath. How am I supposed to ask this of him?

“Remember that day at school?.....When you said you could help me with anything I needed?” I ask.

Mr. Clarke nods slowly. “Yes. Is everything ok?”

_Look at my face _, I think._ Obviously not _. He must know by now that the sirens have something to do with a gang fight.__

I sigh. “I....need money. I have about fifty dollars that I’ve saved up, but I need more money for the bus.”

Mr. Clarke furrows his eyebrows. “Where are you going?”

“....As far away as I can get,” I say. I hadn’t really thought of a specific destination.

Mr. Clarke takes a deep breath. “You know, when I told you that I could help you with whatever, I really meant that you could _talk _to me about anything. So why don’t you explain what’s going on, and maybe we could work out a better solution to the problem?”__

__“Look, Mr. Clarke, I really don’t have time to do that,” I say quickly. “I just need the money. Please.”_ _

__Mr. Clarke looks to the side nervously, as if he’s contemplating something. “Mike, I really don’t feel comfortable doing this without your parents knowing.”_ _

__“Mr. Clarke….Please,” I say desperately. “I know I haven’t been the best student to you. I know you were trying to help, and I wouldn’t let you. I was just....I was stupid....before. But....if you could just help me out now....I promise it's for a good reason.”_ _

__He purses his lips._ _

__“Please,” I continue. “I don’t have time to explain. Just trust me when I say that this is the best solution.”_ _

__Mr. Clarke puts a hand on the back of his neck, then lets it fall to hook on to the top of his shoulder. He lets out a breath. “Ok.”_ _

__“Thank you so much, Mr. Clarke,” I say. He walks into the living room to pick up his wallet. I let myself breathe for a moment. I feel happy and relieved, but I also feel guilty. Now I’ve brought Mr. Clarke into this too. What if the police question him? What if they somehow find out that I came here tonight?_ _

__Mr. Clarke comes back with a wad of twenty dollar bills in his hand, and holds them out to me. “This should get you pretty far,” he says._ _

__I take the money hesitantly. “Thank you,” I say again, this time much more unsure._ _

__Mr. Clarke pats me on the back. “Be careful,” he says._ _

__I nod, and force a smile onto my face before he moves to open the door and let me outside. When I step out, I hear the sky rumble, and ice cold drops of water fall on my face. It’s started to rain._ _

__***_ _

__I keep to the shadows of the houses along the street, looking over my shoulder every few seconds for other people or cars. So far I haven’t seen the cops. Maybe they’ve already passed my house without a second thought. Now that I think about it, I doubt any of the Blades would willingly go to the cops to tell them what happened. All of them would be too afraid of how much trouble they would be in for being involved in the rumble._ _

__I look down at my watch to check what time it is. I can barely make out the numbers through the drops of rain that continue to splatter across the clock face. I frantically wipe them away and squint to find the numbers reading 11:52._ _

__“Shit,” I mutter under my breath. I hurry along the sidewalk until I reach my house, then run to the back. The door to the basement is unlocked, so I wrench it open and rush inside. I hear water drip thickly onto the carpet and then the wood as I steal up the stairs and out into the kitchen._ _

__My heart jumps into my chest when I hear the muffled and static sounds of the TV coming from the living room. I freeze in place and strain my ears for any sort of movement. Eventually I hear snoring, and let my muscles relax with a sigh of relief. Of course, my Dad is asleep. That’s why the door wasn’t locked yet._ _

__I walk as silently as I can to the foot of the stairs. Now I can see him clearly. He’s slouching in a reclined chair, his head tucked into his shoulder, his snores coming steadily. His hand rests on the small pile of blankets that I soon realize is my sister, Holly, asleep on his lap._ _

__Suddenly, that suffocating feeling of guilt that I felt after taking the money from Mr. Clarke is ten-folded in my chest. I shouldn’t have been so stupid. I should have focused on school like Nancy, and gave Holly a good brother to look up to. Now I have to leave her. I’ll probably never see her again._ _

__The sound coming from the TV stops, and I realize I must’ve stood here for nearly ten minutes. The TV station must have shut off. It’s midnight._ _

I tear myself away from Holly and start up the stairs. As I climb higher and higher, I begin to feel exactly how tired I am. Each step I climb sends an arrow of pain through my feet and ankles, and up my legs. My nose still pulses in pain. I haven’t touched it since the rumble for fear it might be broken. My breath comes in loud pants when I read the second floor landing. My feet fall heavily on the ground as I walk to my room, the sound echoing down the hall. I cringe and dart behind my door and shut it before my mom or Nancy wake up and find me soaking wet and covered in blood in the middle of the hallway.

My room is almost pitch black, and while I let my eyes adjust to the dark, my hands search the top of my dresser, feeling for the cold porcelain piggy bank I’ve had since I was five. My eyes focus enough to see the outline of it, and I grab it and take the plug out before shaking a pile of five dollar bills into the dresser. I grab the money and stuff it in my pocket next to the money from Mr. Clarke. 

When I turn around, my eyes have adjusted fully to the darkness, and everything in my room comes clearer to me. I scan the blue walls decorated haphazardly with various movie posters, and the pictures of me, Dustin and Lucas resting on my dresser and bedside table. One of them is of us sitting around the table in my basement and playing D&D. That picture was only taken a few years ago, but I already barely remember the moment.

I walk over to my bed and run my hand along the sheets. It feels like it’s been years since I’ve slept. How has all of this happened in just one day? 

I lie down on my side top of my comforter. I wish I could go back to a few days ago. I wish I could do things differently. I wish I could go to sleep. 

I wrap my arms around myself and curl my legs underneath me. I squeeze my eyes shut as silent sobs begin to rack my body, suddenly and unexpectedly. Tears spill out of the corner of my eyes and run down over the bridge of my nose to land on my pillow. I grasp onto myself tighter, trying to stop crying before I wake someone up, but the tears keep coming. After a while, I give up and let them come. I cry until I have nothing left. My hands shake when I reach up to wipe my eyes. I try to gather the strength to get up again, even though my body is still begging me to rest. I know I’m already late to meet El, though. When I think of El again, it helps me stand up and make my way out of my room.

I startle when I see someone standing at the end of the hallway, just at the top of the stairs. I freeze, unsure of what to do. The figure steps forward, and I then realize it’s  
Holly, her body a shadow against the stairway light that she probably turned on on her way up here.

“Hi Holly,” I say shakily.

“Why did you get home so late?” she asks in a drowsy voice as she walks toward me.

“I was….out with friends,” I say.

"Why does your face look like that?" she asks, pointing towards my nose. "Did you and your friends get into another fight?"

For some reason, I feel myself start to laugh. "Yeah," I say. "Not with each other though."

"With other people," she says, nodding.

"Yeah," I say. "Other people."

Holly glances at my bedroom door, then back at me. "Are you leaving again?"

My mouth opens slightly, searching for an explanation.

"Where are you going?" Holly continues.

“I….I’m just leaving for a little while,” I say finally. I really never was good at lying to her. Or to anyone really.

“Why?” she asks.

I close my eyes and swallow before walking towards her and kneeling down so that she can look at me in the eyes. “Don’t worry about me,” I say thickly. “I’ll try to come back soon.”

I know that that’s probably not a possibility, but I say it anyway, wanting myself to believe it just as much as I want her to.

I expect her to ask more questions, but her eyes look strangely understanding. She instead hugs me tightly for only a few seconds, and, before I can even hug her back, she pulls away with a smile on her face. “Can you read me a story?” she asks.

I take a shaky breath. “I can’t tonight,” I say as quickly as I can.

She nods, and looks off to the side, thinking. “Ok. When you come back you can do it.”

I blink back tears. All I can do is give her a reassuring smile.

She giggles, and walks down the hallway to her room. I sneak out the same way I came in, making sure to lock the door that leads outside from the basement behind me. I try to steady my breath as the rain beats down on me once again.

“I’m coming, El,” I say, reminding myself once again of why I’m doing this. “I’m coming.”


	18. There's a Time for Us

El's POV

My feet splash through the puddles on the concrete by the red “Leaving Hawkins” sign as I pace back and forth on the cold and empty street. My shoes and the cuffs of my jeans are soon soaked in muddy water, but I hardly notice. It’s ten minutes past midnight, and Mike still isn’t here.

_It’s only ten minutes _, I think to myself over and over._ Maybe the rain is slowing him down, or maybe he didn’t realize how long it would take to do….whatever he’s doing _.__

He never actually told me what he was going to do. I assume he went home to get money for the bus. I’ve picked up all that I have, which isn’t much. I’ve spent most of the money I made from Melvald’s at the arcade, or those few times Max and I have gone shopping. I wish I would have saved up more, but what I have should be enough to get us far enough away.

This would have been better if we’d have gone together. Then I would know whether Mike was safe or not. The cops are still out there, and I can’t even begin to imagine how angry the rest of the Blades still are. If Mike got caught by either one of them….well, at least if the cops catch him, he’ll be safe from the Blades. I breathe deeply in and out, trying to calm myself. This would have been better if we’d done a lot of things differently.

It’s only ten minutes, I tell myself once more. You don’t have to start worrying yet.

But ten minutes soon turn into twenty. Then twenty-five.

I start moving back towards town. Something must be wrong. He can’t be this late for no reason. I know that if Mike is in danger, or being arrested, there’s nothing I can do to help. Being there might only make things worse. But I can’t just stand here and wait, and wonder what might be happening to him.

I pass the junkyard. I can just barely make out police cars through the trees. I turn my head away and walk faster. I pass the pathway to my house, but don’t dare to look at it for too long either. I keep going until more street lamps come into view, and houses come closer together. I look between buildings, winding through every different path on the road. Everything is deserted. At least this means it’ll be easier to find him.

I’m walking up the block right before where Melvald’s is when I hear a low rumbling coming from behind me. I whirl around to find a green Ford Pinto coming towards me. I try to dart into the shadows of the shop awnings, but the car slows down and stops in front of the furniture store I’ve started backing up towards.

The window rolls down and Will pokes his head out. 

“El!” he exclaims. “What are you doing out here?”

“I-,” I start. 

“Never mind that,” Jonathan grunts irritably from the driver's seat. “Have you seen Peter around here?”

“Peter?” I ask. I’ve barely seen Peter around enough to know what he looks like. All I know is that he’s even worse than Billy ever was according to Max. “No, I haven’t.”

“Alright, well you should go home,” Jonathan says.

“Why are you guys out here?” I ask, ignoring Jonathan.

“Will wouldn’t let me go alone,” Jonathan sighs. “I broke my arm during the rumble.” He tries to hold it up, but instead lets out a yelp of pain and holds the arm closer to his chest. 

“Plus,” he continues in a strained voice. “He said that we’d find you out here. I don’t know how he knew.”

“Peter’s looking for Mike Wheeler with a gun,” Will says. “Mike's the one who killed Billy.”

“Yeah, I heard,” I say numbly. My heart has dropped into my stomach. First Mike doesn’t show up after half an hour of waiting, and now this. Someone wants him dead.

“We have to find him,” I say. “Can you give me a ride?”

“You should go home," Jonathan says. "Nobody holding a gun is safe to be around, but Peter-.”

But I’m already climbing into the backseat. “I don’t care. I’m coming.”

Jonathan sighs in frustration. “You kids are going to be the death of me.”

Will turns around in his seat as Jonathan steps on the gas again. “Have you seen Max?”

I nod. “Yeah, why?”

“She snuck away after we heard what happened. She was at my house,” he explains. “Was she ok?”

I shake my head, staring out the window. “No. But….I think she will be."

Will gives me an odd look.

“How did you know she would come to my house?” I ask.

Will shrugs. “I only guessed. There’s only so many places she could have gone.”

I nod. Will's gaze doesn't leave my face, and after a moment, he asks, "Are _you _ok?"__

____

“What do you mean?” I ask quickly.

“I know that you care about Mike, El,” he says. “I saw you at the dance. I just didn't want to say anything because I didn't know how Max would react if she knew about it. And even if I hadn't seen you, you let on a lot more than you think. I could tell how different you were when you walked into Melvald’s the day after the dance. I think Max picked up on it too. She's been saying you've been acting weird since we left that day. You seemed so happy, like I’ve never seen from you before." He chuckles. "I don’t even think the word happy could describe what you were.”

I look down.

“I’m right, aren’t I?” he asks.

I look back up at him and nod slowly. 

He gives me an oddly bright smile. Will has never liked the gangs, mostly out of fear, especially since Jonathan joined. But he certainly has never been one to side with the Snakes, probably out of fear as well. I would certainly never expect him to approve of me and Mike. But the smile he gives me isn’t one of disapproval. It isn’t even really one of pity. He’s happy for me, no matter how much of a mess we’re currently in.

“Thank you,” I say quietly to him.

Will nods and turns back around as Jonathan continues to propel us further into town. I turn back to the window and scan the area around us, searching for any sign of Mike. And hoping to God I won’t find Peter along with him.


	19. I'll Take you There

Mike's POV

I skid to a halt in front of the trees that hide the clearing in the woods where El and I spent last night. I’m already half an hour late. I saw a car roaming the streets once I got back to the edge of town, and have been sticking to the trees ever since. Luckily, they didn’t see me, or if they did, they didn’t care anyway. I spent the rest of my journey running as fast as my aching muscles would allow. But I’m still half an hour late, and there’s no sign of El.

I exit the road, and push my way through the soaked foliage and into the clearing. “El?” I call. I search the line of trees surrounding the clearing, but I don’t see her anywhere.

“El!” I shout one more time. My voice echoes back at me. The clearing is empty. She’s not here. Maybe she went back home. Maybe she thought I wasn’t coming, that I decided to stay, or turn myself in.

I tear my way out of the forest and stumble out onto the road. I hear a puff of air and look across the street to see that a bus has pulled up to the bus stop a little ways down the road. 

I take the money out of my pocket and glance between it and the bus. The bus driver turns his head, spots me, and raises his eyebrows. I look up and down the road. This is my chance. My chance to finally leave this place. To start fresh, and to try to create some sort of future for myself. It’s standing right in front of me. Just a few steps and 

I’ll be walking up the stairs and into the bus, and this can all be over. 

But I clench my teeth and shove the money back in my pocket. I can’t leave without El. She’ll just become one more person that I’ve left behind, and I don't know if I could take that. I’d rather turn myself in than leave to find a happier place without her by my side.

I turn my back as the bus drives away, and set off in the direction of El’s house. I know I could be making a mistake. For all I know, Hopper could have come home, forcing El to stay there, and now I’m walking right towards the man I’ve been trying to avoid all night.

I can see the lights coming from inside the cabin through the trees as I start down the pathway for the third time today. All of the lights seem to be on except for the one in El’s room. My stomach suddenly lurches as the whole cabin comes into view and I realize that Hopper’s car is indeed parked outside. With the engine still running.

I rush to my right to try and conceal myself in the trees once again. I’m suddenly aware of how loudly my feet are squelching against the wet mud on the ground, and I slow my walking as I back deeper into the trees, stepping carefully over stray branches. I hear the engine stop, and Hopper gets out of the car. He rubs a hand wearily over his eyes. They look red and bloodshot, even from how far away I’m standing.

He slumps up the porch steps and opens the door. “El!” I hear him call out. “What did I tell you about leaving the door unlocked!”

The door shuts behind him. He appears again, leaning down to look out of the front window. “And why are all the windows open?” he asks.

I hear no response from inside. Hopper stands up straight again and walks towards where El’s room is. I don’t hear anything for what feels like minutes. I creep forward towards El’s bedroom window and carefully look inside. Hopper is standing in the doorway with a horrible expression on his face. His look is one of confusion and fear, and something else; a deep expression of hurt that I can’t describe, but sends a shiver of sorrow, and guilt down my spine

“El,” he calls flatly. He turns around and walks heavily over to his bedroom to look inside. “El.” he says it louder this time. “El! Jesus, don’t do this to me.”

I step away numbly from the window as Hopper continues to shout El’s name. She’s not here. Where could she be? 

I hear the front door burst open, and I hide myself behind the house as Hopper gets in his car. The engine roars and I hear Hopper’s car screech out of the woods and back onto the road.

I only notice how quickly my breath is coming once the sounds of the vehicle fade as Hopper drives further away. I can't get that picture of his face when he couldn't find El out of my head. What if she's in danger? If something happened to her, it would be my fault. If Hopper loses his daughter tonight....it's my fault. 

I shake my head to try and clear my thoughts. She has to be out there somewhere. I just have to keep looking. I can't just give up yet.

I start to run back in the direction of town, keeping to the dense shrubbery. Branches and thorns scrape and tear at my clothing as I go. My body screams at me to slow down, but I push it forward. Eventually, the shops and storefronts come back into view. I break free of the woods and back into the rain, my feet echoing against the wet pavement once again. 

I start to call out her name. I don’t care if anyone hears or sees me. I just need to find her. I need to make sure that she’s ok. 

“El!” I shout breathlessly. “El, where are you?”

I round a corner and am greeted with the wide expanse of blacktop leading to the gated back entrance of Hawkins High School. I slow to a jog as I cross the clearing, looking around for any sign of her. 

“El!” I call out once again. My legs and arms are shaking with exhaustion. I turn in circles hopelessly. I don’t know if I can run for much longer. 

Faintly, I hear the sound of a motor running steadily coming from behind me. I quickly turn around, half expecting it to be Hopper. But the car is instead a familiar looking green Pinto, slowly cruising along the road in front of the school. I feel the muscles in my legs immediately tense up, ready to hide myself behind the school building as I realize that it’s the same car that I hid from earlier. 

The car comes to a stop, and, before I can even move, the backseat door swings open and someone jumps out.

“Mike!” I hear them scream.

My mouth opens, but the air gets stuck in my throat as I notice the figure’s messy brown curls and wide eyes. 

“El,” I say breathlessly.

She sprints across the clearing. Seeing her once again fills me with enough strength to run towards her as well. As we get closer to each other, I can make out the details of her face. Her flushed cheeks, her wide smile, the sparkle of tears gathering in her eyes. Once again, that now familiar feeling of the rest of the world fading away returns to me. Whether we ever get out of here, I don’t care. All that matters is that El is here, and she’s safe. We’ve found each other.

We’re only a few feet away from each other now. Puzzlingly, I notice El’s smile fade. Her eyes widen and her eyebrows pull together. She screams. 

I hear an ear-ringing bang, and then, as if in slow motion, I am pushed forward. I feel something warm spreading across my back. The tips of my fingers and toes begin to lose feeling, and the numbness travels throughout the rest of my body bringing with it a cold and empty feeling. I barely notice it when my muscles give out. All I process is the sensation of falling, and the horrified look on El’s face as the world fades to black.


	20. There's a Place for Us

El's POV

It feels like we’ve been driving for hours. We’ve gone down every street in town, in both directions, three times. But there’s still no sign of Mike. Or Peter. 

“Is there anywhere else we haven’t checked?” Will asks. “Maybe he went back to one of his friends’ houses.”

“He couldn’t have,” I say.

“How do you know that?” Jonathan asks.

“Because,” I say. “We were supposed to….meet somewhere.”

“Well, we can’t find him anywhere,” says Jonathan. “We’ve looked everywhere we can.”

“Let’s go around one more time,” Will says. He turns back and gives me a reassuring smile.

Jonathan sighs. “Ok. One more time.”

We pass Melvald’s once again. My knee bounces up and down quicker and quicker as I scan every detail of the area around us. Every second that goes by where we don’t find Mike, I feel my hope draining, and a familiar sick feeling builds in my stomach. 

_Please be ok, Mike _. I think to myself._ I need you to be ok _.__

Jonathan rounds the corner onto the road that leads to Hawkins High. I almost don’t even bother to look. The area is so open that I doubt Mike would be here if he were hiding from Peter. But I see something moving out of the corner of my eye as we pass the blacktop. I turn my head sharply to try to get a clearer look. The figure is stumbling helplessly across the clearing, looking like they’re about to fall to the ground from exhaustion. It’s a boy. With messy black hair and pale skin.

“Jonathan, unlock the door,” I say urgently. 

“No, you’re staying here,” Jonathan says. He must have spotted Mike as well. The car is slowing to a crawl in front of the school.

“What!?” I exclaim. My hands are shaking and my head is buzzing with nervous excitement. “I have to let him know it’s me or he won’t trust you.”

“We don’t know where Peter is. It could be dangerous,” Jonathan explains.

“I don’t care!” I yell. “I’m not going to just sit here and wait to see what happens! You’ll be in as much danger as I will if you go out there by yourself.”

“El-,” Jonathan starts, but I’m not listening. I roughly pull up on the door lock and wrench open my door as the car just barely comes to a stop. 

“El, wait!” I hear Will shout, but I’ve already thrown myself out of the car. 

Mike is looking in my direction. “Mike!” I scream out his name. I run as fast as I can towards him. I watch as his eyes light up when he realizes it’s me.  
“El,” I hear him say. His voice sounds as tired as he looks, but it’s also full of hope. I feel tears of relief start to gather in my eyes. When I look at him, when I know that he’s still here, and safe, everything inside of me feels peaceful and calm, no matter the chaos of the world around us. I run faster. We’re only a few feet away from each other.  
I see something move behind Mike’s shoulder. A stab of apprehensiveness cuts through my chest. I slow down.

The boy looks like he’s around Jonathan’s age. His clothes are torn, wet, and dirty, and his face is marred by cuts and bruises. He holds a gun in his hand. _Peter _.__

__My throat closes up, and my stomach clenches horribly. I try to make myself call out, to warn Mike, to do anything. All that comes out is a painful scream that echoes across the clearing. There’s a flash, and then a loud popping noise. Mike pitches forward, his face contorted in pain and confusion. He glances at me in shock, and I watch as his body goes limp and he starts to fall to the ground._ _

__My body unfreezes immediately, and I rush forward to catch him. He falls heavily into my arms. His eyes are glazed over, and I can tell that his consciousness is fading. There’s no way he’ll be able to support himself. But I know I won’t be able to hold him up for long. My legs give out beneath me and I hold him close to me as we sink to the ground._ _

__“Mike,” I say hoarsely, cradling his head in my lap. He’s been shot just below his shoulder blade. There’s a puddle of blood spreading across the concrete below us. I turn my head away from it quickly to look back at Mike. He’s staring at me, his eyes still distant. He struggles for breath, and his face looks horribly pale. He slowly brings a hand up to touch my cheek._ _

__“El,” he chokes out. “Are you ok?”_ _

__I chuckle, and feel tears stream down my face. “Of course I’m ok,” I say._ _

__“I….couldn’t find you. I thought maybe-” His breath hitches suddenly, and his face contorted in pain._ _

__“Shh,” I say, stroking a hand across his cheek. “It’s ok. I’m here now.”_ _

__“El....,” he says. His chest convulses as he tries to get the words out. “I’m sorry. I was too late.”_ _

__I shake my head. “No. No, we can still make it. If you could just stand up….we….we can still go, we can get away from here. And we can go wherever we want. You can write stories and make movies, just like you’ve always wanted. And….and things will be better. You’ll be happy, and so will I.”_ _

__Mike’s eyes are shiny with tears. “Promise?” He asks shakily._ _

__“Yes,” I say. “I promise.”_ _

__I see Mike’s eyes begin to glaze over again._ _

__“You just have to get up,” I say quickly. “Please, you have to help me.”_ _

__Even through his pain, Mike gives me a knowing smile._ _

__I shake my head. “Please. Please, Mike, I can’t lose you. I….”_ _

__He brushes tears off my face with his thumb. He looks oddly calm._ _

__“I know,” he says weakly. “I do too.”_ _

__I feel the breath leave his body. His hand slides off my face. I grab it before it falls. “No. Please.” His eyes flutter closed._ _

__I look desperately to Will and Jonathan. They are standing outside of the car, frozen._ _

__“Help me!” I scream._ _

__Will shakes his head, his eyes wide._ _

__“Please! We can’t just leave him here!” I sob. “We need to help him!”_ _

__I look back down at Mike. His lips are parted and the muscles in his face have gone limp. My tears fall and blend into his already soaking wet shirt. I brush his hair away from his face. I remember the pit of dread that I’d felt in my stomach while I was waiting for Mike to come back from the rumble. I had that same feeling again while looking for him tonight. Both times, I’d thought I might have lost him. But now that I actually have, it feels nothing like that. This feels like a piece of me has been ripped away, and every bone in my body aches because of it. My body collapses and my head drops to rest on Mike’s chest.  
__

__“Please, Mike,” I sob. “Please, you have to stay with me.”_ _

__I stay there as long as I can. I never want to leave. I can’t leave him. He has to be ok._ _

__“Mike,” I hear from above me. I look up to find multiple members of both gangs standing there. I hadn’t even noticed them arrive. They must have heard the gunshot. Even Peter is standing in the back of the crowd, a blank look on his face. His gun has dropped to the ground. The rain has stopped, slowing to a light sprinkle._ _

__A boy steps forward from the crowd. His curly hair is tamed by a yellow and green baseball cap. He looks back and forth between Mike and I._ _

__“Mike,” he says again._ _

__I watch as he realizes what has happened. He drops to his knees, still staring, shocked, down at Mike. He must have been one of his closest friends._ _

__Another person pushes through the crowd. He’s older than the other boy, and his hair is standing straight up as if he’s been running his fingers through it repeatedly for a long time. I’ve seen him before. He must be the leader of the Snakes. Steve._ _

__“Dustin,” he says breathlessly. He surveys the scene as well. “Jesus,” he says. He holds his stomach and turns away._ _

__When he spots Peter at the back of the crowd of Blades, I see his back tense up._ _

__"Peter?" His voice is almost like a growl. "What the fuck did you do?"_ _

__I watch as all of the Blades tense up, a few of them drawing their fists back to fight._ _

___No. ____ _

____"Serve's him right," I hear a Blade say. I can't tell where the voice is coming from. "He killed Billy."_ _ _ _

____"Serves him right?" I hear myself say. My voice is strained and hoarse. I've never heard it sound like this before. "No one deserves this."_ _ _ _

____To my surprise, everyone, both the Snakes and the Blades, turn to look at me._ _ _ _

____"Can't you see what you've done?" I continue. I take a deep breath, and use every ounce of strength left in me to stand. No one moves. Everyone just listens._ _ _ _

“It was _your _hatred that killed Billy._ Your _hatred that killed Mike." This time, my voice sounds stronger, more sure than before. "Do you even remember why you hate each other so much?"__

______No one answers._ _ _ _ _ _

"I know why I hate you. Because I hate _all _of you. Every last one of you. I hate you for taking Mike away from me. And I hate you for taking Billy away from his family. From his little sister. You all created monsters out of those boys. And yourselves. So please. Just give up. Stop fighting._ Please. ___

There is silence throughout the clearing. A few of the boys lower their fists. It could be wishful thinking, but I swear I can see a glimmer of shame in their eyes. Soon, a few more follow suit. Then all of them. They back away from each other, and disperse, leaving the clearing. Steve, Dustin, and Peter are the only ones who stay. Peter hasn’t moved at all.

I look back down at Mike. He looks oddly peaceful, as if he's just in a deep sleep. All of the pain from earlier has vanished from his face. I hear sirens in the distance, then wheels screeching on pavement. I don’t bother to look up. I sink back to the ground. I don’t know how much longer I’ll have to look at him. I lean down and place a kiss on his lips. Then I say the words that I’ve been meaning to say since the night we met. The words that couldn’t seem to describe what it felt like to just be near him, but that I now realize mean everything in the world.

“I love you, Mike.”

I hear an officer talking, but I don’t bother to listen. The clicking of handcuffs. They must have taken Peter away. Cars driving away. Then nothing for a while.

I feel a hand on my shoulder. I jerk up and look behind me, prepared to push whoever it is away. I just need one more minute with him. But when I turn around, I recognize  
the man’s scruffy beard and tired, but gentle eyes. It’s Hopper. 

“Dad,” I whimper. I wrap my arms around him and bury my face in his shoulder. He hugs me back tightly and holds me up as sobs rack my body. 

“I’m here, kid,” I hear him say gruffly. “I’m here.”


	21. Someday, Somewhere

**Six Months Later ******

El's POV

I see him for months after. Sometimes it’s just glimpses. Someone with dark hair and pale skin will walk by me at school, or pass me on the street, and for a second I’ll think it’s him, that he’s returned to me. But when I turn around to get a closer look, the person is only a stranger.

Most of the time, he comes in dreams. That’s when I can see him clearly. In nightmares relieving what happened that night, playing it over and over in my mind as if on a TV screen. The more I relive the moment, the more I wish I’d done more. I should have pushed him to the side, or thrown my own body in front of his. In the nightmares, I try. But I never succeed. He falls to the ground and dies in my arms every time. I can’t change anything.

I woke up from them for the first few months, screaming until I lost my voice. Hopper would rush into my room to ask what was wrong and help me fall back asleep. Sometimes he would read one of the old tattered books that his family has passed down to him. Other times he would just sit there with me until I dozed off again.

Ever since the gangs stopped fighting, Hopper has been able to be at home more. I guess a lot of things have changed. Will told me that Mike’s sister, Nancy, and Jonathan started dating. A few days later, I ran into Nancy outside of Melvald’s. She recognized me immediately, and gave me a fierce hug, and thanked me for being there for Mike until the end. Dustin and Lucas got jobs at Melvald’s, and I’m pretty sure Lucas and Max are dating as well, but they both seem too shy to admit it. We all get along well. Everyone does. I wish Mike were here to see it.

I don’t know what happened, but after that night, everything just seemed to come to a stop. Suddenly, there were no more fights, no more turf wars. The Snakes and the Blades became non-existent. And I know that’s good. I know I should be happy, and I am. But I still feel like a part of me is missing. 

Everyone else seems to be moving on. They laugh and smile and crack jokes, and act like everything is normal. I don’t understand how they can get through the day, or how they can close their eyes without thinking about that night. In a sense, I feel like I’m being left behind.

I work an extra shift at Melvald’s now that it’s summer and I don’t have to wake up early for school. Also because working keeps my mind off of things. I usually go to bed as soon as I get home. Tonight is no different. I head to my bedroom immediately after stepping inside.

“El,” Hop says, stopping me. He still insists on driving me everywhere instead of letting me walk or bike home. It kind of seems pointless now that the gangs aren’t a problem, but I don’t fight him on it. I understand what it feels like now, when you’re afraid of someone you love being in danger.

“Yes?” I respond.

Hopper gestures towards the TV. “That new cop show’s premiering tonight. Wanna watch it with me?”

I look to the TV and then back to my bedroom door. “Uh, I don’t know. I’m super tired from today.”

He nods. “Ok. I can record it for you if you want. Maybe we can watch it together tomorrow night?”

"That's ok," I say after a moment. "I'm not really into those shows anymore anyway."

"Oh," Hopper says. I feel a pang in my chest. I know all he wants is to spend time together. To spend a few hours keeping our minds off things. But I know that would be impossible for me. It's becoming harder and harder to keep my mind free for longer than just a few seconds at a time. 

"Well, have a good sleep." Hopper gives me a sympathetic smile. I walk back into my room and close the door behind me.

I change into my pajamas before falling heavily onto my bed, too tired to do anything else. Already, I can feel myself dozing off. I slip into darkness, already anticipating what will come next. I wait for the Ford Pinto to materialize around me. I wait to see the outline of Hawkins High, and I wait for the boy, standing, afraid, in the middle of the blacktop next to it. 

But none of that comes. All there is is darkness. No nightmares. No buildings, no people. No Peter. No Mike. 

When I open my eyes again, sunlight is oozing through the gaps in my curtains. I didn’t wake up once in the middle of the night. I didn’t dream at all. But still I feel tears start to gather in my eyes, and my body aches with painful sorrow. 

Those nightmares have haunted me for months. But they still gave me a chance to see Mike alive again, at least for a few moments. Now that, for the first time in a long time, I didn’t dream at all, I feel like I’ve lost him all over again. What if I never dream about him again? What if I’ll never get to see him again? 

A moan escapes my lips, and my body shakes as rivers of tears course down my cheeks and land on my pillow. I take short gasps of breath in between sobs, clutching onto my chest as it throbs with pain. 

I cry until I run out of tears. Eventually my sobs turn into hiccups, and then into shaky breaths. I sit up and wipe the tears away from my face. I have to get up soon or Hopper will think something’s wrong. 

I get up and walk to my bedroom door, taking a deep breath before stepping out into the living room. I walk into the kitchen to find Hopper standing next to the fridge with a bowl of cereal in his hands. 

“Morning,” he says through a mouthful of cheerios. 

“Good morning,” I say. I open the fridge and grab the milk. 

“Did you sleep well last night?” he asks. 

I get the cheerios from out of the cabinet and pour them into a bowl, along with the milk. 

“Yeah,” I say quickly. I get a spoon out of the cabinet and sit down at the table. Hopper follows and sits down across from me. I busy myself with pushing the cheerios around my bowl. 

“Listen,” Hopper says suddenly. When I look up, his eyes are on me, gentle but searching. 

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you….about what happened.” 

I shift in my seat. 

“Trust me, I know that that’s probably the last thing you want to do right now,” he continues. “I don’t know how long it will take for you to tell me about him. Or if you ever will. I’m not expecting any of that from you. I just….I’ve been thinking about it, and I want to answer your question….That question you asked me that night. About why I choose to stay here.” 

He pauses. I barely remember that moment. It returns to me in faint flashes. I asked him the night of the rumble, after he told me that Billy was killed. 

Hopper sits down in his seat and takes a deep breath. “My daughter, Sarah, uh, passed away when she was really young. It was cancer.” 

My heart drops. He’s never told me that before. 

Hopper continues, shaking his head and letting out a slight chuckle. “You know, I’ve dealt with death more times than I can count, but that was different. Obviously. And the worst part about it for me was that there was nothing I could do to stop it. There was nothing I could fight for her, to make it go away. I just had to watch it all happen.” 

He takes another breath, and I watch as he gathers his thoughts. 

“Kids here, they put themselves in danger all the time. Or at least they used to. I don’t know if it was a choice or not, or if they felt like they had to. But at least here I could try and help them. I tried to help you. Keep you safe. I don’t know if I succeeded or failed at that. But at least….I tried. I can give it my all to try and help these kids.” 

I nod. I understand. Now more than ever. I would do anything to go back in time and do whatever I could to stop Mike from going to that rumble. I feel Hopper take my hand from across the table. 

“I know what it’s like….,” he starts slowly, as if struggling to find the right words. “To lose someone that you care about. It feels like the end of the world. Especially when you’re just a kid. For the longest time after it happened to me, I didn’t even feel alive. But I just need you to know that every day it gets better. It hurts every day, but it gets better. I’ll be here whenever you need me, ok?” 

“Thank you,” I say thickly. A lump has formed in my throat and my eyes sting with tears. 

Hopper stands up from the table and holds out his arms, and I rush into them, hugging him tightly. 

“You’re gonna be ok, kid,” he says. 

We stay like that for a while. I don't think I've ever hugged him for this long. 

Eventually, I pull away, a thought that has been weighing on me for months suddenly resurfacing. 

“Do you think I could go somewhere today? On my own?” 

“You mean without me driving you?” Hopper asks 

“Yeah,” I say. “It won’t take long, I promise. I just….I need to be on my own for this.” 

Hopper bites his lip and glances at the front door, thinking. 

“Ok,” he says finally. “Just be careful, ok?” 

*** 

Wind sweeps through my hair as I walk down the winding roads of Hawkins. Even for a summer day, the air seems cold near the cemetery. I pull Mike’s sweatshirt more tightly around myself. 

I didn’t go to Mike’s funeral. His family never knew me, and I didn’t want to show up uninvited and upset them even more. Lucas and Dustin told me they wished they hadn’t gone either. That Mike would have wanted them to be out enjoying the fact that they could now go to the downtown movie theater without having to sneak around. 

At the time I thought that that was a terrible thing to say. But now I know that they were right. 

I enter the cemetery and walk back and forth down the aisles, searching for his name. Eventually my eyes land on a gravestone at the edge of the yard. I sink to my knees in front of it, and trace my fingers over the letters engraved on the stone. Mike Wheeler 1971-1985. 

Already, I feel more tears begin to sting the corners of my eyes. I blink them away quickly. I have to do this. I have to be strong. I take a deep breath and lean forward to rest my forehead against the smooth stone. The coolness seems to calm me down. After a moment, I begin to speak. 

“Hi Mike," I say. 

I pause, searching for the right words. 

"Before now, I never wanted to visit you. Not here. I just….didn’t want what happened to be real. I didn’t want to accept the fact that I would never be able to see your face in person again. I was even beginning to find solace in my nightmares, just because I wanted another chance to see you. 

"But I know that that will never be enough. I want more than that. I want to touch you. Talk with you. Laugh with you, again. I want to be able to tell you everything that has happened since you've left. But I can’t. I know that. 

"Last night, I didn't dream about you. At the time, it seemed like the worst thing in the world. Now I really have no way of being with you again. But I realized today that it's a blessing. I realized that maybe I should hope that the dreams will never come back. That way I can move on. And that doesn't mean I'll forget you. I couldn't even do that if I tried. I just.....from now on, I'm going to try to be happy. For you. But also....also for me. 

"I know it'll be....one of the hardest things I'll ever have to do. But, like Hopper said, I'll take it one day at a time. And hopefully, it'll become easier." 

I let my hand slide from the stone. 

"I hope, one day, we'll meet again. I know that we will. Someday.....somewhere." 

I sit back up. When I stand, I feel stronger than before. The sun is bright. It's a Saturday, so I don't have work. Usually, I'd spend all day inside, but today, maybe I'll spend at least a few hours in town. I smile. Maybe I'll go see a movie.

**The End ******


End file.
